Seminar on Willem Van de Velde drawings

Technical study of Van de Velde drawings: exploring workshop
practices and techniques in seventeenth-century century marine art.

In the seventeenth century the Willem Van de Veldes, father and son,
worked together as marine draftsmen for the Dutch government and the
English Court, leaving one of the largest legacies of drawings from
the Dutch Golden Age. They drew at sea and in the studio, combining
traditional drawing methods with inventive innovations to create the
final commissioned works on panel and canvas. The drawing process
became a means to understand the sequence of events in a battle at
sea, the anatomy and movement of ships, and a study on perspective
and natural elements. The National Maritime Museum, who holds the
largest collection of drawings by the artists (over 1400), is
currently embarked on a two-year conservation and research project
funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation exploring the materials and
techniques used in van de Velde drawings. Technical research
presented in this seminar aims to provide a deeper understanding of
the making, purpose and authorship of these drawings. Additionally,
expert contributions from curators, scientists and conservators,
will further explore the use of drawings in the wider context of
seventeenth century marine art.

The Seminar coincides with the monographic exhibition van de Velde
drawings: reflecting on artist's studio practices and conservation
(1 September - 30 November, 2013), and the van de Velde paintings
rehang, both held at the Queen's House, Royal Museums Greenwich. 5
September 2013 Queen's House Orangery and Parlours

Organiser: Royal Museums Greenwich, London

Cost: UKP30 including buffet lunch in the Queen's House

Programme

    The van de Velde drawings in the context of the Royal Museums
    Greenwich

        10.00       Welcome and overview

        10.10       The van de Velde drawings in the context of the
                    Queens House

                    Christine Riding, Senior Curator of Paintings,
                    Royal Museums Greenwich

        10.30       Tea Break

    History, studio practices, materials and techniques

        11.00       The van de Veldes at work: studio practices,
                    materials and techniques

                    Clara de la Pena McTigue, Prints and Drawings
                    Conservator, Royal Museums Greenwich

        11.30       Pen fights: drawing, the van de Veldes and the
                    battle for 'truth' in late Stuart England

                    Dr Sarah Monks, Lecturer in European Art
                    History, School of Art History and World Art
                    Studies, University of East Anglia

        12.00       Seventeenth century marine draftsmen: Technical
                    comparison between the art of van der Meulen and
                    the van de Veldes

                    Andre le Prat, former Head of Paper
                    Conservation, Musee du Louvre

        12.30       Seathwaite Wad:  the original pencil

                    Barbara Murray, Technical Manager at Derwent
                    Pencils

        13.00       Lunch break and exhibition viewing (Queen's
                    House)

                    Examination and Treatment

        14.30       Examination, treatment and display of van de
                    Velde drawings

                    Clara de la Pena McTigue, Prints and Drawings
                    Conservator, Royal Museums Greenwich

        15.00       Micro-fading testing (MFT) as an aid to
                    treatment and display: analysis performed on van
                    de Velde drawings

                    Dr. Jacob Thomas, Research Assistant at
                    Jagiellonian University

        15.30       Tea Break

    The Art of the van de Velde, wider context and influences

        16.00       Willem Van de Velde the Elder and the pen
                    paintings technique

                    Friso Lammertse Curator of Old Master paintings,
                    Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

        16.30       Who is van de Velde? Maritime art and the Dutch
                    tradition in eighteenth-century Britain

                    Dr Richard Johns, Curator of Prints and
                    Drawings, Royal Museums Greenwich

        17.00       Panel discussion

        17.25       Closure and future initiatives

Workshop:

In addition to the seminar, Dr. Jacob Thomas will be running two
half-day workshops on micro-fading testing on 6 September, 2013 at
10.00 and 14.00. The workshops are free to those who have attended
the seminar. Please note there is limited capacity for these two
workshops (maximum 10 per workshop). The exact schedule and contents
are still to be confirmed, but likely to include:

    Introduction to MFT history and applications (20 minutes)
    Instrumentation demystified (40 minutes)
    Comfort break (10 minuntes)
    Hands-on use of MFT (90 minutes)
    Interpretation of results (90 minutes co-incident with hands on)
    Discussion and wrap up (20 minutes)

As current museum programmes facilitate increasing access to
collections through exhibitions and loans, conservation
professionals are faced with the challenge of how to best protect
very light sensitive objects on display for future generations.
Microfadeometers (MFT) have been developed and adapted in museum
environments to measure light sensitivity. Light fading rates can be
measured on individual materials and colours by focusing a beam of
very intense light on specific colours or relevant areas. This
half-day workshop, offered to attendants of the van de Velde
conference, will focus on the technical aspects of MFT and how it
can be used to inform decision making with respect to
display/lighting/loan policy in museums. The technique will be
demonstrated on NMM objects under the expert guidance of Dr. Jacob
Thomas, Research Assistant <jagiellonian university>.

For more information and to book a place please contact the

    Research Department Executive
     Royal Museums Greenwich:
    +44 20 8312 6772
    research<-at->rmg<.>co<.>uk

Birthe Christensen
Head of Conservation and Preservation
Royal Museums Greenwich
National Maritime Museum
Royal Observatory Greenwich
The Queen's House
Cutty Sark
Greenwich, London SE10 9NF
direct +44 208 312 6504


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:7
                 Distributed: Wednesday, July 31, 2013
                        Message Id: cdl-27-7-014
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