Mother and Child (1990) by Madeline A. Smith (1920-2015) is a cold cast sculpture depicting author and humanitarian Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) and a child holding a butterfly in her proper left hand. The sculpture is located on the grounds of the Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie, PA, which was named a National Historic Landmark in 1980. Cold casting is a method of casting metal powder in epoxy to mimic the appearance of bronze casting. The Mother stands behind a little girl, extending her hand toward the shoulder of the child who holds a butterfly in the palm of her hand. The connection which held the copper butterfly onto the palm of the child figure’s hand had become detached and required repair. Weather-worn regions in the otherwise dark and shiny finish had become unsightly and prompted conservation.

Kreilick Conservation, LLC was retained to conserve the Mother and Child sculpture. The sculpture was de-installed in November 2017 and transported to the conservation studio for treatment. Kreilick repaired the butterfly connection, removed failed coatings, and restored the finish on the cold cast sculpture group. In March and April 2018, the piece was re-installed, and the interface between the sculpture and the sandstone pedestal was pointed.