Light, dust and insects are their enemies: antique tapestries are restored at the Royal Tapestry Manufactory De Wit in Mechelen thanks to a self-developed and patented cleaning system. […]
Light, dust and insects are their enemies: antique tapestries are restored at the Royal Tapestry Manufactory De Wit in Mechelen thanks to a self-developed and patented cleaning system.
Even in the early Middle Ages, they were mostly used to decorate ecclesiastical buildings. The motifs of the tapestries made in monasteries were religious, but changed in a courtly context when the tapestries were also made for the aristocratic class. During state visits and ceremonial celebrations, the ornate tapestries were hung in interior rooms and on exterior façades. They were also used as room dividers to improve acoustics and insulate castle walls from the cold and draughts. As commissioned works, they were based on the dimensions of the respective rooms; large-format tapestries could even decorate entire sequences of rooms. For a long time, they were reserved for the rich and powerful, as they could take several years to produce. After all, tapestries were easy to transport when rolled up and could be hung anywhere for display purposes.
A contract between the client and the tapestry dealer, which set out the conditions for the workshop, contained information about the function, material and size of the tapestry. The client chose the painter and determined the motifs with him. If silk, gold or silver threads were to be used, this increased the price. First, a small sketch was made on paper. This was then enlarged into a drawing. The workshops then translated the design into a textile image. In the late Middle Ages, the cities of Constance, Basel and Strasbourg were among the most important centers of warp knitting. From Brussels to Tournai, the southern Netherlands, which controlled the wool trade due to its proximity to England, then became the main production area. Incidentally, only tapestries from the Manufacture des Gobelins in Paris are considered “tapestries”.
Today, Mechelen to the north of Brussels preserves the tradition of Flemish tapestry art. The Royal Tapestry Manufactory De Wit is located in the brick building of Tongerlo Abbey dating from 1484. It has been run by the fifth generation of the De Wit family since 1889. The founder, Theophiel De Wit, learned the tricks of the trade as an apprentice at the French company Braquenié in Mechelen. He achieved his first successes by adapting to local taste, which demanded only reproductions or variations of the most famous tapestries of the past. Within a few years of handing over responsibility to his son Gaspard, the number of looms and employees had tripled. Contemporary artists were commissioned with the motifs and, with state support, the company survived the economic crisis of 1929. In the early 1980s, the concept was finally changed due to a lack of demand and the focus shifted to trading, collecting and, above all, the techniques of conserving and restoring historical pieces. At this time, the company also acquired the Tongerlo Abbey in the old town to set up the workshops there.
Thanks to its unique infrastructure, which concentrates all aspects of the treatment of antique tapestries within the same laboratory, the manufactory is now a world leader in the preservation of ageing wool and silk tapestries. It also plays a pioneering role in the development of new techniques. Damage is usually caused by the effects of insects, dust, water and light. Nails and screws also leave their mark. Added to this are improper previous repairs and incorrect storage, for example when the fabrics have been folded instead of rolled.
In the past, it was common practice to wash tapestries in temporary baths made of polyethylene and plastic pipes. Cleaning required large quantities of softened and deionized water as well as sufficient drainage. The tapestry was completely immersed in the bath. Mechanical action in the form of a sponge was also essential. To ensure that the entire surface of the tapestry received the same treatment, it was rolled on a roller in the bath. The repeated rolling and unrolling exposed the fabric to considerable stress. The mechanical action could damage delicate threads. The process was lengthy and drying could take between 12 and 24 hours, allowing potentially volatile dyes to spread.
Pierre Maes, the son of Yvan Maes De Wit, leads a team of 15 restorers and art historians as they move through rooms full of colorful balls of wool. Women in white coats bend over long restoration chairs on which centuries-old tapestries are stretched. They have a handful of spools of fine wool and silk in countless shades: ochre, bronze green, blue and crimson. They were selected to match the colors of the damaged weaving. “Our work consists of stabilizing the fabric with a linen cloth placed on the back, which is sewn with these silk threads. In the case of larger gaps, we try not to rework the tapestry identically, but to integrate these gaps into the composition through minimalist interventions,” says Pierre Maes. “When we restore tapestries, we don’t simply weave gold or silver underneath just to make it look better or appear more valuable. Each piece gives us the broad outline of its composition – and we follow it.”
The manufactory sometimes dyes the silk and cotton threads used itself in its laboratory with hundreds of synthetic pigments in order to preserve the colors of the tapestries and guarantee their quality. Before they can take these steps, however, the pieces must first be cleaned. The aerosol suction cleaning method used here was patented over 30 years ago. The suction method has since established itself throughout the museum world as the benchmark method for cleaning antique fabrics. Washing is a risky step: over the years, the cotton has often frayed and the silk has often been pulverized by the effects of time and light. The scientific approach, in which every step is carefully recorded and documented, has set standards.
The system uses a combination of aerosol spray and vacuum suction. It is equipped with integrated sensors to control the pH value, temperature, water flow and pressure. The system consists of a closed chamber with glass panels. The base is a large 5 x 9 meter suction table. There are 45 aerosol sprays attached to the ceiling, approximately 1.75 meters above the platform. During the cleaning process, the tapestry is held in place by continuous suction. When the aerosol is switched on, the chamber fills with water vapor, which is drawn evenly through the entire tapestry. A low concentration of a non-ionic detergent is introduced into the aerosol system for as long as it is deemed necessary for soil removal. This is replaced by softened and then deionized water during the rinsing process.
The subsequent drying process takes place at 30 degrees. Unstable colors flow into the collecting basin. This procedure, including drying, takes around eight hours and is controlled by a series of computers and chemical tests. Famous pieces such as the “Lady with the Unicorn” from the Musée de Cluny in Paris, “Los Honores and Los Paños de Oro” from the Patrimonio Nacional in Spain or the “Le Dais” tapestry by Charles VII from the Louvre have already undergone the process. Regular customers also include private collectors and important collections, such as Spain’s Patrimonio Nacional, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, France’s Mobilier national and the Louvre, the Bavarian National Museum in Munich and the UK’s National Trust. “We are in the fortunate position of being able to carry out the most important and most beautiful restoration commissions that are awarded internationally,” says Pierre Maes. And in his hands and those of his highly focused team, they receive the care that these treasures, which are highly prized at art fairs such as TEFAF in Maastricht or BRAFA in Brussels, deserve.
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