Call for papers--Symposium on wood and furniture conservation

Call for papers
"Restoring Joints, Conserving Constructions"
10th International Symposium on Wood and Furniture Conservation
De Rode Hoed, Keizersgracht 102
Amsterdam
8-9 October 2010

Friday 8 October  2010
Registration at 8.45 AM
symposium starts at 9.30 AM

    Word of welcome by the chairman

    Through, sliding or blind: The dovetail joint in furniture
    history

        Clive Edwards
        Professor of Design History, Loughborough University, United
        Kingdom

        This paper will consider the origins of the dovetail from
        ancient Egyptian cabinetwork, through its development as a
        builders' and joiners' joint, to becoming the symbol of
        refined cabinet making. The development of this simple,
        though sophisticated, joint and its many variations will be
        a fascinating story.

    'Expect the unexpected': Constructional details revealed during
    the conservation treatment of a commode by Fiedler

        Jurgen Huber
        Senior Furniture Conservator, The Wallace Collection,
        London, United Kingdom

        A specific type of dovetail was found in the work of Johann
        Gottlob Fiedler, a successful 18th-century Berlin based
        cabinetmaker. The find initiated a research and it was
        attempted to trace this construction method to a wider
        circle of German cabinetmakers.

    'No progress without experiment' (Gerrit Rietveld, 1950).'
    Joints in the work of Rietveld

        Marijke Kuper
        art historian and Rietveld expert, the Netherlands

        Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld considered original
        interpretation of construction methods and materials
        essential for his designs. This will be illustrated by
        Rietveld's specific use of the dowel-joint and application
        of other construction methods.

    More than decoration: the joining of Peder Moos 1924-1968"

        Bodil Stauning
        Furniture Conservator, The Royal Danish Court, Copenhagen,
        Denmark

        This presentation examines the production of Danish
        cabinetmaker Peder Moos. Special attention will be given to
        the designs he made with decorative joinery and his use of
        lamination techniques.

    Restoring the joints of picture frames:  maintaining function at
    the expense of aesthetics?

        Claire Daly ACR
        Conservator of frames and gilded furniture, painted and
        decorative surfaces, Belgrave Conservation and Birmingham
        Museum and Art Gallery, United Kingdom

        The corner joints of frames; what they tell us about the
        origin of the frame, the assessment of their condition,
        later modifications, the fragility of the decorative surface
        and how all this affects treatment.

        In short; this paper deals with the complex joinery issues
        of frame conservation practice.

    Joints in medieval picture frames

        Hubert Baija
        Senior Conservator of Frames and Gilding, Rijksmuseum
        Amsterdam, the Netherlands

        Some exciting results of a research and cataloguing project
        of the paintings and frames collection at the Rijksmuseum
        collection will be presented. Measured, drawn and analyzed,
        the original frames and triptychs give important clues on
        late medieval joinery methods.

    The conservation problems of painted furniture in Portugal of
    the 18th century

        Daniela Coelho
        doctoral grant researcher of the Portuguese Science and
        Technology Foundation (FCT), associated with the Portuguese
        Catholic University (UCP) and the Research Center for
        Science and Technology in Art (CITAR), Portugal

        As part of their restoration a technical study of four
        pieces of painted furniture was done at the Institute of
        Museums and Conservation of Portugal. Their specific
        treatment regarding the joinery concerns will be discussed.

    Stereo-radiography

        Andrea Coerdt
        Senior Conservator of Furniture, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the
        Netherlands

        The advantages of making 3D x-ray pictures of objects for a
        better understanding of their structural characteristics
        will be presented and illustrated with case studies. The
        audience will be able to experience the 3D effects.

    Rehabilitation of the judges' chairs in the supreme court of
    Canada

        Alastair Fox
        Furniture Conservator, Canadian Conservation Institute,
        Ottawa, Canada

        After their adaptation in the sixties with swivel bases, the
        nine judge's chairs designed by Ernest Cormier for the
        Supreme Court of Canada were treated by the author. This
        paper outlines the challenges of the restoration, to their
        original configuration, through a process of experimentation
        and rebuilding.

Saturday 9 October
Reception at 9.30 AM
The symposium starts at 10.00 AM

    Opening of morning session by
    the chairman of the day

    A structural approach to a complex conservation of two late
    17th-century cabinets-on-stand in the collection of the
    Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

        Iskander Breebaart
        Senior Conservator of Furniture, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the
        Netherlands

        During the conservation of two cabinets that represent the
        highlight of the early Dutch marquetry furniture their
        construction details were extensively studied. Treatment
        details of the doors will be focused on the presentation.

        (This project is at the core of a prolonged research by the
        Rijksmuseum's furniture conservation department. See also
        the master class organised there in the week preceding the
        symposium.)

    Structural consolidation and reinforcement of broken furniture

        Adrian Smith, Nigel Goldsmith
        Furniture Conservators, Workshops of the Master of the Royal
        Household's Department, United Kingdom

        This paper will illustrate the approaches, techniques and
        materials used in the workshops of the Master of the Royal
        Household's Department, of Great Britain, in their work to
        repair and strengthen failed furniture structures in a
        working collection.

    Structural characters of Piedmont's 18th-century cabinet making.
    Historical documents, restorations and new technologies

        Stefania De Blasi (art historian)
        Carla Enrica Spantigati (scientific director)
        Massimo Ravera (chief furniture restorer)
        Marco Nervo (physicist)
        Thierry Radelet (multispectral analist)
        Centro Conservazione e Restauro "La Venaria Reale", Turin,
        Italy

        By focusing on the work of the 18th-century cabinetmaker
        Pietro Pifetti, a team of specialists from the Centro
        Conservazione e Restauro "La Venaria Reale" threw light on
        the construction methods of some of the best Piedmontese
        furniture designs. The study project merged different
        approaches: historical research, technical observations and
        new scientific techniques like computed tomography (CT) and
        digital radiography.

    Preserving historic integrity while addressing structural
    concerns: three case studies

        F. Carey Howlett
        Conservator of Furniture and Historic Interiors F. Carey
        Howlett and Associates Callao, USA

        Three recent architectural woodwork projects presented a
        range of structural and joinery problems. The author will
        briefly describe the challenges faced in each project, the
        options for treatment, and the innovative solutions that
        best preserved the historic integrity of the materials while
        ensuring their structural stability.

    1 pm Departure excursion
    Return to Amsterdam in the late afternoon

This programme is subject to change.

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 be prepared to show your student card at the
door. Upon registration you will receive information on the method
of payment. The closing date for registration is 24 September 2010.

We hope to see you at the symposium.

Stichting Ebenist is supported by Amsterdams Historisch Museum,
Instituut Collectie Nederland, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Prins
Bernhard Cultuur Fonds

Renzo Meurs
Wood and furniture conservator, member of the Ebenist foundation
Tweede Helmersstraat 68
21054CM Amsterdam
The Netherlands


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:14
                  Distributed: Monday, August 30, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-24-14-009
                                  ***