Research Andrea Marchetti

Abstract

Up to the early 20th century, carriages and sleighs have played a central role in society and thus are present in many museum collections today. Yet, the heritage of horse-drawn vehicles (Hippomobile heritage) remains a vastly understudied area in heritage scholarship. A first effort to shed light on this unique heritage has been made, since October 2022, with the Belcaire project, aiming at developing an informed conservation plan for the hippomobile heritage collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History (KMKG-MRAH) in Brussels. However, given the material complexity of these vehicles, focused analytical-technical research projects are also necessary to fully understand the chemistry of the different materials constituting a carriage. This is where the Imcotech project comes into play, aiming at gaining a deeper understanding of one of the most complex materials found in carriages: lacquer coatings. Because of their nature and use, horse-drawn vehicles were systematically exposed to environmental agents such as (UV) light, moisture, atmospheric pollution gases and dirt/dust. The water-sensitive materials that form part of these vehicles were protected against the adverse effect of the environment through the application of impermeable lacquer coatings. These coatings had also a fundamental decorative function, since they would ultimately determine the final appearance of the vehicles (conceived not only as a mean of transport, but also as a fashion statement and a symbol of social status). Today, the complete lack of research on the history, composition and chemistry of these complex multilayered coatings, makes it impossible to design a well-informed conservation plan for hippomobile heritage. Consequently, the lacquer on the exterior of historical horse-drawn vehicles, when original, is often found in a poor conservation state. Given the key twofold function of lacquer on carriages and sleighs, i.e., protective and decorative, its degradation can have dramatic consequences on the overall condition of the objects and cause a drastic loss of aesthetic, historical and thus (future) valorization value for the museums they are kept in. Imcotech aims at filling this critical knowledge gap by means of a multidisciplinary approach, combining (1) research of written and visual sources and (2) reproduction of historical lacquer recipes, with (3) material characterization of historical vehicles by means of advanced analytical methods. The fundamental information obtained in this project will allow to shed light on the composition and technology of these impermeable coatings. These results will complement previous research conducted on European lacquer for indoor applications (ELinC project, focus on furniture and other small objects), finally allowing to obtain a complete picture on lacquer materials and on the historical evolution of waterproofing and material technology as a whole. Moreover, the results of Imcotech will represent a key step towards completion of the ambitious goal of Belcaire, ultimately enabling a better preservation of hippomobile heritage for future generations.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Marchetti Andrea
• Co-promoter: Janssens Koen

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The KMKG-MRAH holds an exceptional collection of about eighty carriages and sledges dating from the late 17th century until the early 20th century, including 11 coaches on loan from the Belgian Royal House. Although these objects accurately reflect the historical innovations in technology and material science of their era, hippomobile heritage remains an understudied field in heritage science. In recent years, a preliminary damage assessment of the KMKG-MRAH collection highlighted the exceptional original state of the objects, but in parallel raised concern for the poor material condition, especially of the interiors that include upholstery, shades, cushions, passementary and trimmings. As a result of the poor condition of some of these interiors, conservation students and staff of UAntwerp conducted a preliminary collection audit in 2019. This survey highlighted the complexity of preserving these mixed-material interiors, bringing instable inorganic materials (e.g., corroding metal) in close contact with sensitive organic materials such as (oiled) textile fibres, leather and early synthetic materials. As such, the goal of BELCAIRE is to develop a model for long-term preservation strategy not only targeting the KMKG-MRAH collection but applicable to all hippomobile heritage dispersed over various European museums, institutions and private collections. We therefore propose first gaining insight into the largely unknown innovative materials and craftmanship employed for the manufacture of carriages by combining the study of historical sources (patents and manuals) with a careful optical inspection and chemo-physical characterization of a selection of carriages. In the first phase/two years, BELCAIRE focuses on four case studies which are representative for various social classes: royalty (case 1: inv. nr. TR 49), nobility (case 2: inv. nr. TR 76), bourgeoisie (case 3: inv. nr. TR 4) and public transport (case 4: inv. nr. TR 69). In later years enlarging this corpus will allow finetuning and benchmarking the obtained insights. After this material study ongoing degradation phenomena are identified and listed whereas their mechanisms and urgency are further assessed through the production and artificial ageing of mock-ups. In particular, historical materials are reproduced according to recipes and exposed to various environmental conditions to quantify their individual and combined impact on the degradation mechanisms. Based on the obtained insights, a generic risk assessment model is drawn up for hippomobile heritage, guiding curators and conservators in their decision-making processes for active and passive conservation. Finally, an elaborate dissemination plan, linking with the HOME-AGE project (FED-tWIN project PRF-2020-011 granted in the previous round), targets an efficient flow to and interaction with scholars, students and the general public. In this way, BELCAIRE aims to close the knowledge gap on the conservation and preservation of hippomobile heritage and contributes to the understanding of cumulative damage caused by mixed materials and techniques in carriage interiors in particular.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van der Snickt Geert
• Fellow: Marchetti Andrea

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES)

Project type(s)

• Research Project