The Belgian government recently announced that Dr Anne van Grevenstein-Kruse, retired professor of Conservation and Restoration at the Faculty of Humanities, will during the coming five years coordinate the restoration of the renowned 15th century Flemish altarpiece the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei). This comes after an earlier diagnostic inspection of the altarpiece, also led by van Grevenstein, revealed the need for urgent and large scale specialist intervention. A proposal which has since then been formally approved by the Flemish minister of Environment, Nature and Culture, Joke Schauvliege. Restoration of the Lamb of God, currently housed in the Saint-Bravo Cathedral in Ghent, will be partly funded by the Belgian government and is expected to cost in the region of 1.4. million euros. The project itself – which is planned to start in the summer of 2012 - will involve several full-time specialists working under the expert guidance of van Grevenstein. In this month’s edition of Perspectives on Humanities, we speak to van Grevenstein about her forthcoming project, going on retirement and the future of Dutch restoration.

Roads well traveled

As far as histories go, few are as rich as that of the Lamb of God. Directly linked to some of the most important events in European history, the altarpiece has in a certain sense become a symbol of the old continent’s tumultuous yet fascinating past. Commissioned by the wealthy merchant Joost Vijdt for his wife Lysbette, work on the altarpiece was initially started by Hubert van Eijck and later completed by his younger brother Jan in 1432. Named the Lamb of God, or more formally Adoration of the Lamb, the altarpiece - which consists of 24 panels and is made up of several images including Christ, the Virgin Mary, Adam and Eve - was almost lost to posterity after Calvinists and iconoclasts unsuccessfully tried destroying it during the Reformation.

Moving from one revolution to the next, the piece was later claimed by Napoleon and dragged to Paris where it functioned as an artistic monument to the Corsican’s power and wealth. After the fall of the Napoleonic empire, six of the painting’s wings were sold to the King of Prussia and kept in Germany, who in the following century also took possession of the other panels during the Great War. Explicitly mentioned in the Versailles Treaty, Germany was however forced to return all of the panels (both bought and stolen) as part of the reparations package agreed to in 1919. German resentment at being denied what it viewed as its rightful ownership of the Lamb of God, once again led to German forces stealing back the altarpiece and storing it in a salt mine during the Second World War. In a game resembling musical chairs, the end of the war eventually saw Allied forces recovering the artwork and returning it to Belgium, where it has remained ever since.

Restoring the Agnus Dei

While most people would be amazed by the Lamb of God’s eventful history, van Grevenstein is more laconic about what almost seems to be the aesthetic curse of Europe’s most prized artwork. “Extraordinary beauty has always evoked unwanted rapaciousness in certain individuals. Once you realise this, the fact that many people have coveted the Lamb of God becomes less surprising.” In contrast to what could be considered a measured response, van Grevenstein is considerably more impassioned about the need for an urgent restoration of the altarpiece, which the diagnostic inspection has confirmed is in dire need of repair. According to van Grevenstein, there are currently several factors posing a potential risk to the piece. These include the atrocious state of the display case, the climatic condition in which the piece is kept, and the old layers of varnish and paint on the various panels. “One of the first things which came to our attention during the diagnostic inspection was the bulky, green coloured display case of the altarpiece. Not only does it hamper one from properly viewing the altar, but it also forms a potentially hazardous obstruction if ever the need arises to urgently move the piece during natural disasters such as floods or fire. Added to this, the display case also makes for an unfavourable climatic condition in which to keep the altar.”

Another risk identified by van Grevenstein and her team are the multiple layers of synthetic varnish covering the large oak altar panels. These form a danger to the pictorial layer and will need to be removed before any new varnish can be applied and retouches made. Despite the extensive need for repairs, van Grevenstein nonetheless underlines the relatively good condition of the painting. “Artworks, just like people, cyclically need to be inspected and restored every so often. The last time any work was done on the Lamb of God was several decades ago, which is precisely why this project is needed.”

The future of Dutch restoration

Although it remains unsure whether any UvA students will take part in the restoration project, van Grevenstein hopes to use her role as coordinator to actively involve aspiring restoration specialists at the Faculty of Humanities. During the diagnostic inspection several students – or junior colleagues as van Grevenstein puts it – already took part in disassembling the altar panels under the expert guidance of senior specialists. “The emphasis in our profession is always on the need for older, experienced colleagues with substantial empirical knowledge, to share their expertise with newer generations. An objective which I think we successfully managed to achieve during the inspection.”

Considering the quality of the Master’s programme Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the Faculty of Humanities, van Grevenstein is in no doubt that as trainee restoration specialists, UvA students could play a valuable part in a project such as the Lamb of God. The retired professor also sounds noticeably relaxed when questioned about the recent publication of a New York Times article quoting director of the Getty Foundation Deborah Marrow as saying that there is urgent need for skilled specialists to prepare the way for newcomers. According to van Grevenstein, there is very little reason to be worried about the future of restoration and conservation in the Netherlands. “When I think of how well the University of Amsterdam has anticipated the future trends and challenges in the field of restoration, I have no reason for concern.” Asked about the nature of these trends and challenges, van Grevenstein explains: “the transition from a situation where knowledge is primarily disseminated between master and student, to one where it is taught within an academic setting, is a relatively new phenomenon”. “One which has managed to occur within the space of a single generation, and which the University was quick to realise would happen. In that sense, I can quite honestly say that the UvA has been visionary ”

According to van Grevenstein, the old way of teaching the intricacies of restoration is inherently problematic owing to the fact that students become rigidly blinded by the loyalty they have towards their masters. This blindness can be disastrous, mainly because students are unwilling to question their own restoration techniques, which in turn places their artworks at risk. In an academic setting the exact opposite occurs. Students are actually encouraged to critically examine themselves, the techniques they use and their reasons for doing so, thereby creating a more transparent process. “The UvA, by combining practical skills training within an academic setting, supports such a process perfectly.”  

Retirement

Listening to the passionate way van Grevenstein speaks about her role in the restoration of the Lamb of God, as well as the future trends in her discipline, one can easily forget her recent retirement from teaching. Retirement, however, seems to hold a very different meaning for the restoration savant. Not content with basking in the afterglow of her numerous achievements, van Grevenstein plans to stay active within the field of restoration and conservation. “Although the Lamb of God will be the biggest project I will be working on, I will continue giving lectures and building a knowledge platform within my field,” says van Grevenstein, who immediately adds: “..o yes, and I might be collaborating on  a project entitled ‘Van Eijck Studies’, which forms part of the ‘Science for Arts’ programme".    

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