Symposium on wood and furniture conservation

Ninth International Symposium on Wood and Furniture Conservation:
    Vernacular Furniture
Felix Meritis - European Centre for Arts, Culture and Science
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
14-15 November 2008

Organised by Stichting Ebenist

Programme:
Friday 14 November, 2008
Registration at 8:45 am, the symposium starts at 9:30 am

    Word of welcome by the chairman

    The decorative use of native timbers in the production of
    vernacular furniture in Scotland, Wales and England in the 18th
    and 19th centuries Dr. Bernard Cotton, furniture researcher,
    United Kingdom A talk in which special reference will be given
    to the use of timbers whose grain pattern and colouration
    qualities due to oxidation were employed as decorative features
    of furniture

    Vernacular furniture patina
    Herman den Otter
    Professor of furniture conservation, University of
    Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

        An attempt at defining patina and how it is experienced by
        the observer. Can one say vernacular furniture is "a class
        of its own" in this respect?

    The conservation of Irish vernacular furniture
    Dr. Claudia Kinmonth MA(RCA)
    Furniture researcher, Ireland

        This paper is based on field work into real interiors since
        the late 1980s, together with research into artists' images
        of farmhouse interiors since the late 18th century. It
        explores reasons for traditional graining, and subsequent
        overpainting, the evolution of finishes and various
        approaches to the conservation and restoration of structure
        and surface, for use or display.

    Painted furniture from Hohenlohe-Franken, a rural area in the
    north-eastern part of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
    Karl-Heinz Wustner
    Furniture researcher, Rossler-Museum Untermunkheim, Germany

        How rewarding it can be to identify the original makers is
        illustrated by this introduction to the furniture from a
        mostly agriculturally structured, cultivated landscape in
        Germany and the work of Johann Michael Rossler (1791-1849)
        from Untermunkheim in particular.

    The dynamics of tradition: painted furniture from Staphorst
    1800-2000
    Jacco Hooikammer
    Documentalist, and Hans Piena, Curator, Dutch Open Air Museum
    Arnhem, Arnhem, the Netherlands

        Focussing on the rural village of Staphorst the authors have
        unravelled continuous national and international influences
        on the furniture of a community formerly regarded as
        ultra-conservative.

    Two examples of Austrian vernacular pieces of furniture and the
    interesting discoveries that were made during their restoration
    Mag. Peter Kopp
    Professor Akademie der bildenden Kunste, Dott. Sara Picchi,
    furniture conservator, Vienna, Austria

        Austria's rich heritage of vernacular furniture is well
        documented and widely published. Still, technical study and
        analysis of two wardrobes from known workshops in Lower and
        Upper Austria have recently shed new light on their makers
        and creation.

    Transylvanian German painted furniture from the 16th/17th
    century: The Henndorf chests. Examination, registration and
    preservation
    Prof. Dr. Gerdi Maierbacher-Legl
    Head of Department for Furniture Conservation, HAWK-FH
    Hildesheim, Germany

        Very appropriately this unique collection of some 120 chests
        from a multi-ethnic Transylvanian society is being conserved
        today by students from Germany, Hungary and Romania. A
        report of an ongoing project.

    Historical and technological research and conservation
    possibilities of 18th century Transylvanian chests covered with
    leather and decorated with metal ornaments
    Dr. Petronella Kovaics Mravik
    Head of the Department of Conservation Training and Research,
    Hungarian National Museum Budapest, Hungary

        Distinctly different from other European traditions, these
        Transylvanian travelling chests have been the focus of a
        research and conservation project. The combination of the
        materials metal and leather provides the conservator with
        very specific problems.

    Revealing color: American colonial painted furniture
    Christopher M. Swan
    Furniture conservator, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
    Williams-burg, USA

        A much less known category than furniture from urban
        centres, furniture from the colonial outposts will be
        presented with special focus on their decorative finishes.

    Characteristics and restoration of a Norwegian "spinnestol"
    Dag Feldborg
    Furniture conservator, Norway

        A group of Norwegian chairs is called three-legged or
        spinners' chair. What are their characteristics of form,
        construction, use and repair? The talk will also focus on
        strategies for restoring this kind of vernacular furniture.

Saturday 15 November, 2008
Reception at 9:30 am, the symposium starts at 10 am

    Vernacular craft to machine assisted industry. The division of
    labour and the development of machine use in vernacular
    chair-making in High Wycombe
    Dr. Clive Edwards
    Furniture researcher, Loughborough University, United Kingdom

        From "bodgers" working in the woods to a factory based
        operation. This talk will explore the changes in vernacular
        chair-making, in particular of producing the well-known
        Windsor chair type.

    Vernacular furniture conservator: Traditional furniture in
    Ecuador Julio Ben'tez Telles
    Furniture conservator, Quito, Ecuador / Valencia, Spain

        Traditional furniture-making techniques that are kept alive
        by craftsmen and women can be essential for the conservation
        of Ecuadorian furniture.

        This talk will introduce the "Sociedad de Carpinteros y
        Anexos Union y Trabajo" as a unique source of information on
        traditional furniture making and a keeper of cultural
        heritage.

    The Still Room at Temple Newsam House, Yorkshire, England: The
    reconstruction of a domestic interior
    Ian Fraser
    Conservator (furniture; historic interiors; preventive) Leeds
    Museums and Galleries, Temple Newsam House, Leeds, United
    Kingdom

        Since 1988 the building and interiors of Temple Newsam have
        been the focus for restoration and reconstruction. Not only
        the "polite" interiors received attention, but also a
        domestic interior, such as the Still Room for storage,
        preserves and food preparation, was meticulously restored.

    The use of straw and willow in Irish country furniture
    Joe Hogan
    Basket-maker, Ireland

        The various techniques such as coiled straw, plaiting and
        twisted straw or grass traditionally used in rural Irish
        furniture will be discussed and their conservation options
        dealt with.

    Technical analysis of Scottish vernacular furniture from
    National Museums Scotland Collection
    Sarah Gerrish ACR
    Furniture and Wooden Artefacts Conservator, National Museums of
    Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

        This detailed examination of rare pieces of Scottish
        vernacular furniture, many previously unseen and held in
        storage, will enable them to be shared with a wider
        audience.

    Vernacular furnishings of the early 19th century western
    Canadian settlement era
    Rick Lair
    Furniture conservator, Canada

        Drawing from an ongoing research project the speaker will
        introduce the furniture that resulted from a unique melding
        of Aboriginal and European settlers cultures.

    Defining vernacular in Colonial Jamaica
    John Cross
    Lecturer in Conservation and Design History,  London, United
    Kingdom

        Research has discovered numerous locally made items of
        furniture on the island. Much of these are attempts to
        produce fashionable imitations of metropolitan examples,
        while others have little reference to western taste. It is
        this latter category that will be the focus of this talk.

Registration and payment: If you wish to attend the symposium,
please register via

    <URL:http://www.ebenist.org>

The price for the two-day symposium is Euro 230. This includes
coffee, tea and lunches as well as the proceedings which will be
sent to you upon publication. For students there is a reduced rate
of  Euro 195. Please show your student card at the door. The fee is
to be paid during online registration.

The closing date for registration is 1 November, 2008.

We hope to see you at the symposium.

Stichting Ebenist is supported by Amsterdams Historisch Museum,
Instituut Collectie Nederland and Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:14
                 Distributed: Sunday, September 7, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-22-14-013
                                  ***