We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 8 July 2021 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The chair of this colloquium will be Liselore Tissen (Leiden University & Delft University of Technology)
The presenters are:
► Tirza Mol – Looking into Rijksmuseum’s Maritime Collection: Provenance and Function of 18th and 19th Century Half Hull Models
Abstract:
The maritime collection of the Rijksmuseum contains around 300 half hull shipmodels.
A halfmodel is a scale model from the starboard or portside half of a ship hull, mounted on a wooden backboard. They are constructed in wood, polychromed and finished with a transparent varnish. Little is known about the function of these halfmodels, their provenance and date of production. It is assumed they played a role in the 18th and 19th century Dutch shipbuilding industry, but what role exactly is not defined.
By means of tool trace research and the study of construction, the production process is analyzed. Dendrochronological research will lead to more accurate dating of the models. Eventually, by clustering the models according to stylistic features, materials and tool traces, as well as dendrochronological and archive data, they may be attributed to specific ship wharfs. This lecture shares the preliminary results of this fascinating interdisciplinary research.
Bio:
Tirza Mol is associate furniture and shipmodel conservator at Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. After completing a Master degree in psychology at the University of Amsterdam in 1994, Tirza Mol started a more practical study in cabinet making and boatbuilding. In 2012 she decided to join both practical and academical skills in a new profession. Five years later she obtained her master’s in conservation-restoration of wood and furniture at the University of Antwerp.
► Marjolein Koek – Shattered silk in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Looking for a non-invasive and practical method to identify weighted silk
Abstract:
The Rijksmuseum holds a number of weighted silk objects in its costume collection. During the late 19th and early 20th century silk was often weighted with metal salts. This process was done in order to increase its value (silk was sold by weight) and to improve processes such as dyeing. The care and conservation of degraded weighted silk is highly problematic. Costume collections worldwide are having trouble managing and conserving this type of objects. This presentation will discuss the developments of finding an easy method to identify objects made from weighted silk in the costume collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Bio:
Marjolein Koek works as a textile conservator at the Rijksmuseum since 2014. She holds a MA PdRes in Conservation and Restoration from the University of Amsterdam, specializing in textiles.