GILDING IN THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE

Abstract

Holland produced an enormous output of paintings in the seventeenth century, along with a wealth of richly carved picture frames. Examples of such carved frames can be found today in various collections in Europe and the United States. Several are described in Framillg ill the Go/dell Age by P.J.J. van Thiel and C.J. de Bruyn Kops (1995), first published in Dutch as the catalogue for the exhibition 'Prijst de Lijst' in 1984. Traces of original gilding from this period have become exceedingly rare. New research at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam suggests that a gilding technique was used on carved Dutch picture frames which differs from the traditional methods of gilding (water gilding and oil gilding). This non-traditional technique seems to have been practised during the second half of the seventeenth century for a period of about 30 to 40 years, when ornately carved frames became fashionable in Holland. By the end of the seventeenth century, water gilding on bright red bole took the stage. This may well be closely related to an historical event, the Edict of Nantes in 1685, when the Huguenots were expelled from France. The influential designer Daniel Marot, and most likely also French craftsmen such as carvers and gilders, settled in the wealthy Dutch Republic, bringing their traditional skills with them. Why traditional gilding methods were temporarily replaced by a novel technique is still a mystery. Did it spring from want of skill, or perhaps from a scarcity of materials, such as bole? Was it a labour-saving invention, or did it produce a particular and desired visual effect? Numerous depictions of Dutch seventeenth-century interiors show us that picture frames were gilded. Historical descriptions of such interiors, however, do not indicate how the gilding was done. Historical recipes have been researched but no clue has yet been found which ties in with findings on the objects themselves. The technical research discussed in this summary is intended to give more insight into the methods and materials used in this gilding procedure, and the visual effect it once produced. Three frames from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inventory nos. SKL-I005, SKL-I006 and SKL-1804), one frame from the Boijmans-van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam and two from the Museum De Lakenhal (nos. 12 and 457) in Leiden have been investigated so far. The De Lakenhal frames both contain their original dated paintings by J. de Vos (1659) and J. de Baen (1675); the name of the carver for the De Vos painting is A. Goosman and the original gilder was Marc Leopoldus. The exact design for the vertical members of the Rijksmuseum frame SKL1804 is found in a book with etchings of the sculptures from the former Amsterdam City Hall (now the Royal Palace) by Artus and Hubertus Quellinus. This book was first published in 1661 (Peter Fuhring, Ornament in Print, Amsterdam, 1998). Investigation of several frames has focused on the remains of original finishes. Stereomicroscopy, cross-sections under the analytical microscope and analysis of samples with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas-chromatography, thin-layer chromatography and staining were used. The following stratigraphy has been found, from the wood upward: On four of the frames a thick layer of hide glue, measuring up to 2mm, is found immediately on top of the wood. This layer is transparent and has an orange colour. It has cracked and cupped badly over time, and traces of lead white and of yellow ochre were found in it. On frame no. SKL-1804 a layer pigmented with lampblack is found directly on top of the wood. Direct temperatureresolved mass spectrometry (DTMS) was used to determine the nature of tl~emedium in this layer.