Stories from the conservator
In this section, conservators at SMK describe the conservation that they carry out as part of their day-to-day work, in small, short stories. The tasks are wide-ranging, and these stories cover the treatment and investigation of many artworks of very different character and condition.
You can read about the restoration of works on paper, parchment, canvas, wood, plaster, bronze, wax and plastic. The works of art are typically in the conservators' studios either in connection with SMK's own exhibtions and displays, or in preparation for loans to exhibitions in other museums. Conservation and research is sometimes also carried out as part of a larger research project. The conservators may also be called in if it is discovered that a work has damage and needs some care and attention. This damage may include degradation in the form of discoloration, loss of paint, cracks, surface dirt, holes, deformations, or parts of the artwork may have been lost due to damage.
The way in which a work of art is treated depends on the type of materials used to make it, as well as the degree and type of degradation or damage. The extent and choice of the restoration process is also largely determined by the work's original technique. There will, for example, be large differences in the treatment of an oil painting, a watercolour, a drawing in ink, a work in chalk, printed material and a photograph.
Discover stories from the conservator
Revealing the Secrets of a Master Flower Painter
During preparation for the exhibition Flowers and World Views, which opens at SMK in spring 2013, two paintings by the German-Dutch flower and still-life painter Abraham Mignon (1640-1679) were examined down to the smallest detail.
A woodcut in a bath - preparation of a 468-year-old hunting scene
As part of the preparation for SMK'swoodcut exhibition in 2012, many different prints were brought out of storage and into the conservation workshops.
A grid of red chalk - Matisse's use of grids as an aid
In 2009, Henri Matisse's work Le Luxe II was restored at SMK. In this context, a number of technical studies were carried out in order to gain a greater understanding of the painting's creation and of Matisse's painting technique.
A rediscovered masterpiece
This small panel painting of the Madonna and Child had been tucked away in storage for decades because of yellowed varnish, discolored retouchings and several layers of surface dirt.
Read about the work that proved to be of surprisingly high quality
Restoring Joakim Skovgaard's masterpiece
In Christianskirken in Klaksvík on the Faroe Islands, one of Joakim Skovsgaard's masterpieces, The Last Supper, hangs as an altarpiece. It is currently being restored.
Read about how the work that SMK has loaned to a church is being restored
© Succession H. Matisse/billedkunst.dk
Matisse - the frame in focus
In preparation for the new presentation of the museum's French collection, one of the museum's masterpieces by Henri Matisse was brought in to the conservation workshop.
Read about how the frame stole the spotlight from Madame Matisse
Small portraits - big problems
A miniature, or rather a portrait miniature, can be used as jewellery or hung for decoration in small cabinets.
Read the story of how some of the tiniest pieces of art are protected for posterity
Christen Købke
Danish Golden Age painter Christen Købke's sketches for the large painting View of a Street in Østerbro outside Copenhagen. Morning Light have been brought from storage to the conservation department.
Yvette Guilberts unwanted freckles
In 1894 the French cabaret singer and actress Yvette Guilbert, had the honour of being portrayed by the painter and graphic artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, in an album of 16 colour lithographs with accompanying text.
Madonna in gold and egg tempera
From time to time, the museum's artworks must pay a visit to the conservation studios. A recent vistor was a Madonna painted by Cecco di Pietro. The painting was restored by conservator Troels Filtenborg.
Straightening out the Queen Juliane Marie – a conservation process in pictures
How does a conservator flatten a dented piece of art without touching the colour layer?
