Position at Rijksmuseum

Technical Art Historian
Rijksmuseum

36 hours per week

The Conservation and Scientific Research Department is currently
seeking a Technical Art Historian.

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands.  Its
collection includes 1.1 million works of art and objects from and
about the Netherlands, spanning the period from the Middle Ages up
to and including the 20th century.  In April 2013 the Rijksmuseum
reopened to the public following a large-scale restoration and
renovation campaign, resulting in a breathtakingly beautiful
building, innovative layout and displays, spectacular exhibitions,
exciting events and various facilities catering to all ages.

The Rijksmuseum has an established reputation in the specialist
field of technical art history.  As part of our aim to pass on
existing knowledge and experience to next generations, we are
inviting candidates to apply for the post of Technical Art
Historian.

The Technical Art Historian will work closely with the analysts,
conservators, and scientists of the Museum Atelier Building.  He/she
should also work with the curators of the Rijksmuseum.  He/she will
contribute, in particular for the technical entries, to the making
of the Catalogues of the Rijksmuseum.  Candidates should have
hands-on familiarity with the common methods and techniques for the
material examination of art objects, such as IR-reflectography,
X-radiography, conventional 'wet' microchemistry, light-, and
electron microscopy, diffraction, spectrometry, and chromatography.
He/she should be capable of valuating the outcomes of these methods
in the interpretation of art historical questions.

The Technical Art Historian will focus primarily on paintings of the
Rijksmuseum.  His/her work will include the following activities:

    Perform technical examinations of works of art

    Contribute to the writing of entries for the Rijksmuseum's
    Catalogues (bestandscatalogi)

    Collaborate with conservators of the Rijksmuseum in answering
    questions of technical nature

    Collaborate with curators of the Rijksmuseum in writing essays
    and entries for exhibitions

    Collaborating with other researchers (for instance in NICAS) in
    art technological studies

    Initiate and develop new and innovative research projects on
    historical methods and materials in art

    Instruct students from Amsterdam University (UvA) programs on
    methods and techniques of technical art history

Requirements

    Thorough understanding of historic painting techniques

    Education in the Humanities at PhD-level, and a strong
    background in the Sciences (or equivalent)

    Good verbal and visual reporting and documentation skills

    Good English language skills

    Good Dutch language skills (or willingness and capability to
    learn Dutch)

Candidate profile: As the person should be a dependable participant
in the newly formed NICAS (Netherlands Institute for Conservation
Art and Science) network, he/she should be capable to collaborate
effectively with scientists, conservators, and art historians alike.
The ideal candidate is a scholar with a PhD in the humanities, but
also with a thorough understanding of chemistry and physics (or vice
versa).  He/she should be a research-oriented person with an
aptitude to cross boundaries of disciplines and be conversant with
methods and procedures of the sciences and humanities.  The ability
to work with historical (art)technical sources, is essential.
Therefore, the person should be capable to study historic documents
in their original languages (French, Italian, Latin, German,
Netherlandish), and have a reasonable facility with the orthography
and palaeography of such documents.  He/she should have a good track
record of publications in refereed journals.  As the technical art
historian will work closely with the conservators of the RMA, a
background in practical hands-on conservation would be a valuable
asset.  As the successful candidate will also work closely with
students from university programs for conservation and for art
history, an academic background in the training of students at
bachelor and master levels in both fields is highly desirable.

Terms of employment: The researcher will be appointed for the period
of one year, with the possibility of an extension with one year.
Should the candidate fit within the profile of the museum a
permanent position is an option after two years.  Depending on
experience and academic experience a possible professorship can make
part of this position.  This will be evaluated after one year.

Salary depends on training and experience, with a minimum salary of
Euro3,435 and a maximum salary of Euro4,784 gross per month (salary
scale 12) based on a full-time appointment of 36 hours, excluding
holiday allowance and year-end bonus.  This appointment is subject
to the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Museums.

For further information about this post, please contact

    Dr. Robert van Langh
    Head of Conservation and Scientific Research
    +31 20 6747 233

Queries regarding job application procedures should be directed to

    Lieke Boers
    P&O Department
    +31 20 6747304

Please send your application (covering letter, CV, list of
publications) by email to vacatures<-at->rijksmuseum<.>nl, stating the job
vacancy name, by no later than September 15, 2015


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:9
                  Distributed: Thursday, July 23, 2015
                        Message Id: cdl-29-9-032
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