The restoration of the works on paper

Castle de Haar owns a modest collection of works on paper. The most beautiful works are the drawings or engravings of the castle through the centuries, still in full glory or as a romantic ruin. Often framed in a frame designed by architect Pierre Cuypers.

Many guest rooms were furnished with fashionable prints, drawings, pastels or watercolors around 1900. Sometimes antique, often contemporary fashionable female portraits.

Of course, the collection also contains works that tell something about the life of the residents at De Haar. Many photos of course, but also pastels such as of the dogs or design drawings and stencils from the time of the rebuilding.

Paper conservator Marchelma van Breugel took on the challenge of restoring some 140 objects in a multi-year process. She herself wrote an interesting interim report about it which can be read below.

Marchelma van Breugel: "A total collection requires a standardized approach. Yet my experience now is that every object has its own peculiarities and requires solutions. That challenges me as a conservator. And that feels valuable and it enriches."

Much accumulated dirt at opening of complicated framing

Restoration

The collection:"More items than you would think so."

The collection has about a 140 objects. It represents the eventful life of the family and the history of the castle and the events that were organized in and around the castle. Besides drawings, watercolors, pastels and graphics, the collection also contains many photographs. The objects can be found all over the castle. In the rooms of the castle the objects hang on the wall, lie in a cupboard, stand on a cabinet or are placed in a display case. In the depots, the objects are packed and numbered in wooden racks. For the most part, the works are framed. This means that they are framed with a glass plate and a suspension and/or stand. Some of the works are set in a passe-partout or mounted on a (usually) colored cardboard.

The start:"A multi-year plan on paper."

As a whole, the paper collection represents a rich history and is of great value to Kasteel de Haar and its visitors. With the exception of a few works, the works on paper have not been cleaned or treated for about a hundred years. It is therefore very nice that the Kasteel de Haar Foundation has made it possible to conserve this collection.

At the end of 2023 I was invited to view the collection and January 2024 I could already start mapping the collection by means of a QuickScan. With the QuickScan it became clear what the current state of the collection was, both in outline and on a piece level. Moreover, from this I could distill how much and what materials and tools I would need and how much time it would take to execute the plan. That it was going to be a multi-year plan was obvious. In the spring I started to carry out the conservation of the pieces in my studio.

all gaps filled in with Jap[ans paper on color

The approach:"Preserving Authenticity."

The objects show who lived there and how people lived there. Conceived in this line, it is therefore not surprising that the objects should remain as authentic as possible. The explicit wish was therefore to see the framed works as a whole. After all, the type of frame, the size and color or finish of the passe-partout or top board are deliberately chosen by the maker or owner and contribute to the authentic look of the rooms.

The collection certainly needs attention and care. In the framings, many inferior finishing materials had been used such as woody and acidic cardboard, rusty nails, porous glass. So with proper conservation cleaning and conservation reframing of the framed objects, a lot could be gained.

Conservation and framing: "in a big way but with individual attention"

"A collection requires a standardization in approach. Yet my experience now is that every object has its own peculiarities and requires solutions. In any case, it challenges you as a conservator."

All objects, passe-partouts and mounts have been removed from their frames and cleaned. Accumulated dirt, mold and insect residues, glue residues, tapes and paper overlays have been removed. Objects with suspected mold spots and insect bites were disinfected. Where necessary, tears have been repaired, image disturbing stains and dirt cleaned slightly deeper and/or retouched. The paper was re-glued if it was no longer strong and gaps were filled with Japanese paper if this would prevent further damage. The inferior back boards of the framings were removed, with the texts and paste-ups transferred to a new board. The frames were also included in the conservation, cleaned and with retouching for minor damage. A framer was called in for damages that I could not fix.

The existing passe-partouts were reused; the object, when in the frame, was detached and set on a museum cardboard with Japanese hanging strips. The frame here is hinged with the museum cardboard in front.

Furthermore, I made extensive use of intermediate sheeting (museum paper and photo archive paper and museum cardboard); between original passe-partout and object, under the object and the top board, and in a few cases between the wooden back board if it could not be replaced. This is to prevent as much acid migration and regulate moisture as possible.

For the conservation reframing, the back boards were replaced with acid-free cardboard, the glass replaced with uv-resistant museum glass and a new hanging system. The objects without a passe-partout were fitted with spacers to ensure that the object is not directly against the glass....

Aftercare

To my great joy, a new air-conditioned paper depot was realized during the project and there are beautiful storage drawers and wall systems to safely store the objects. This makes it very easy to continue monitoring the objects. It is also now possible to alternate the framed objects with the works in the rooms to avoid prolonged influence of light and climate changes.

Outpost with ribbon made functional again