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Case Studies from the Rijksmuseum - by Isabelle Garachon

Esther van Duijn (Rijksmuseum) - Bridging the Channel – The Dissemination of the Dutch Wax-Resin Lining Method to the United Kingdom in 1929 Co-authors: Michiel Franken (formerly RKD) and Mireille te Marvelde (Frans Hals Museum) Abstract: In April 1929, a delegation of several British museum specialists visited the restoration studio of the De Wild family in The Hague and of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, for demonstrations on wax-resin lining, also known as ‘The Dutch Method’. The visit seems to have been a catalyst for the dissemination of the technique into the UK and consequently its appearance in the international literature, its intensive further investigation and following debate. Studying this exchange answers not only questions about the dissemination, but also about the international contacts between museum directors, curators, scientists and restorers. The visit sheds light on important international developments in conservation history, on the eve of the 1930 Rome conference, the subsequent foundation of several European museum laboratories and a general forward progression in the field of conservation. This lecture was previously presented for the symposium ‘Bridging the gap: synergies between art history and conservation’, at the National Museum of Norway, Oslo, on 23 November 2023. Bio: Esther van Duijn is paintings conservator at the Rijksmuseum since 2014. Between 2003 and 2014 she worked for various Dutch museums and institutions as conservator and/or researcher. In 2013 she defended her PhD on the painting technique of gold-brocaded velvets in early Netherlands paintings. During her career she has specialized in the history of conservation, focusing since 2014 on the paintings collection of the Rijksmuseum, on which subject she has published extensively. She is currently part of Operation Night Watch.