Provider: Ministry of Culture
Programme: National and Cultural Identity Applied Research and Development Programme - NAKI II
Implementation period: 01. 03. 2016 - 31. 12. 2019
Recipient/coordinator: Faculty of Restoration - Studio of Restoration and Conservation of Stone Sculptures and Related Materials
Principal investigator: doc. Mgr. art. Jakub Ďoubal, Ph.D.
Project link: www.stopytvorby.cz
Other project partners: Institute of Art History of the CAS v.v.i.
The aim of the project was to investigate the condition, damage and subsequently develop and test conservation and restoration technologies applicable to the preservation of art and arts and crafts sculptures, sketches and models made on the basis of plaster binders using the fund of sculptures by Stanislav Sucharda (1866 - 1916).
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Czech identity was being formed and the ideals of the Czechoslovak state were being established. Monuments and the decoration of official buildings were important symbols of national emancipation and Czech statehood. Original sculptural sketches and alternative models document the creation of these works, many of which have since disappeared.
Despite their artistic value and undeniable importance, the plaster works have not yet become the subject of systematic research to determine the optimal methodology of professional care. The topic is not sufficiently treated in the Czech or foreign literature. Due to the sensitivity of the material, a significant part of plaster models is exposed to the risk of serious damage or destruction.
The research, identification and documentation of the collection of Suchard's plaster works - unique in artistic value, thematic and technological diversity - was carried out. The focus of applied research was on testing traditional and developing new materials and technologies and optimizing the process of restoration and conservation of movable monuments made of plaster. The aim was to determine the limits of the use of individual procedures and technologies, to determine the appropriate method of application and then to set the optimal mode of storage of the restored works.
The acquired knowledge was continuously shared with the professional and wider public in the form of workshops and educational programmes. Within the framework of interdisciplinary and supra-regional dialogue, the themes of the importance of sculpture for the formation of national cultural identity, restoration issues and care of plaster sculptures were presented. The final exhibition presented Suchard's works in the context of the national ethos of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Main outcomes:
Exhibition in the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery - Stanislav Sucharda 1866-1916: The Creative Process
https://www.ngprague.cz/udalost/231/stanislav-sucharda-tvurci-proces
Methodology "Care of plaster castings"
Monumental procedure "Gluing plaster casts"
Monumental procedure "Selection of a suitable method for cleaning plaster works"
Publication Jakub Ďoubal et al. "Plaster casts: restoration and care of works of art"
Database of sculptural works by Stanislav Sucharda https://www.stopytvorby.cz/databáze
| Files for download | Size |
|---|---|
| Methodology "Care of plaster castings" - pdf | 6.61 MB |
| Monumental procedure "Gluing plaster casts" - pdf | 21.45 MB |
| Monumental procedure "Selection of a suitable method for cleaning plaster works" - pdf | 7.7 MB |
