A Conservation Team Tries to Safeguard

the State Palace's Paintings

Reported by

Puji Yosep Subagiyo

The Team Coordinator

Wedding Party, Constantin Makowsky

Heavenly World, Constantin Makowsky, 1891

Introduction

It is the first time for the Unit of Palace Museums and Fine Art Galleries (the Presidential Household) has given serious attention to the paintings collection. The attention requires a conservation team from the profesional level of the staffs of the National Museum, National Gallery and the Textile Museum of Jakarta. Primastoria Studio, in affiliation with the National Museum, reserves the qualified  persons and the museum provides  the laboratory facilities for conservation.

The team members completed the surveys for climatic data and the condition of the paintings. The collected data (texts, numerics, and pictures),  will  be  in  digital  format.    The team has planned operational procedures for packing, transportation, conservation and restoration work at the laboratory. It recommends the State Palace in storing or displaying the pictures.

The State Palace’s Paintings

The 35 paintings are mostly identified as oil paintings, also 2 pastels and one collage. The known painters are Abdullah Sr. (1 piece),  Affandi (1), Basuki Abdullah (2), C. L. Dake Jr. (1), Constantin Makowsky (2), Dullah (6), Ernest Dezentje (2), G. Giovanetti (1), Harijadi S. (1), Henk Ngantung (1), Imandt (1), L. Amato (2), Le Mayeur (1), Kartono Yudhokusuma (1), Kinsen (1), Lee Man-fong (1) Roland Strasser (1), Rudolf  Bonnet (2), Soedibio (1),  S.Sudjojono (2), Sudjono Abdullah (1), Williem Adrian van Kongnemburg (1), and two anonymous paintings. The paintings have deteriorated due to the high humidity and temperature. They have also been exposed to the light containing ultraviolet radiation. Varnish on the paintings has yellowed, the canvases are fragile and paint is flaking. Insects and fungus have also caused serious damages to them.

Painting Conservation

Yellowed and dusty paint is first removed using chemicals such as a mixture of distilled water and alcohol, absolute alcohol, a mixture of alcohol and acetone, acetone, 2-ethoxy ethanol, and turpentine. The fragile paintings are consolidated with washi japanese paper and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) emulsion.

Telaga Sarangan painted by Dullah in 1932, is impregnated with WRA-559  to make the very fragile painting strong. (WRA-559 is special consolidant developed by Primastoria Studio). The lost paints are replaced by a mixture of calcium carbonate and WRA-559, which is then inpainted.  Wanita berbaju hitam, painted by L. Amato, was previously incorrectly restored. It was treated as the previous work for Telaga Sarangan.

On-going Project

There are so many varieties of artists, materials, techniques and size of paintings. The team plans to continue the work on the very big size of paintings. The team needs to consider how to remove them from their walls, how to transport and treat them in the laboratory.

Updated:  06 Maret 2007

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