Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)
Veronika SZILÁGYI: Rebirth of the Gundel Centrepiece: Methodological Experiments in the Restoration of Enamelled Metalwork
Deformations The lion’s feet on the lowermost section had sunk slightly into the dish, presumably due to the great weight of the upper section. This caused the whole centrepiece to lean slightly. The artwork would have suffered the greatest damage while being moved. The deep dish at the bottom of the centrepiece can no longer be fixed to the central section because damage resulting from dismantling or removal caused the L- shaped soldered sheets used as fixtures to become separated from the central section. Only three of these sheets have survived. The disappearance of the convex sheet that was once riveted over the central opening of the lower section can be regarded as damage caused through use. The archive glass plate negative clearly shows that it once existed. It is possible that this unseen structural component was deliberately removed due to its weight or due to difficulty in reassembling it. There is a significant difference between the condition of the lower section of the centrepiece and its upper section. Use may be the main reason why the lower dish has suffered substantially more damage than the top part bearing the candelabrum. (Almost every detachable decorative component was affected by some sort of damage.) At the same time, one of the spherical decorations added during the later conversion was missing completely, while another lacked all its enamelling and its setting, with its threaded stem. Damaged enamel The majority of the enamel damage was probably caused by temperature fluctuations and physical effects, as is common with decorations made using this technique. Enamel is vulnerable in changing conditions, as it has a different coefficient of thermal expansion from that of the metal it is fixed to, which results in cracks, flaking and other forms of damage. Previous repairs and interventions In the absence of any documentation, it can only be assumed that the centrepiece was repaired in the past by several different people. Some of these interventions were carried out using methods (such as soft soldering) or replacing the enamelling with gypsum and acrylic) that are no longer compliant with modern-day expectations. The objective of restoration The main task of museums is to preserve, process and display their exhibits in their original condition. Accordingly, the main objective of restoring the Gundel Centrepiece was to provide it with physical reinforcement, with an additional aim being to improve its aesthetic appearance, bearing in mind the principles of future researcha- bility and reversibility, and using the most advanced materials and techniques available today. The enamelling technique lay at the core of my interest. Restoring the Gundel Centrepiece and replacing the missing enamel components provided me with an opportunity to develop new methods in this area. (In addition to improving the appearance, in certain cases the new replacement parts also contributed to structural strengthening.) There are no proven recipes for supplementing enamelled components, and indeed it is not unusual to come across replacements that are far from aesthetic or which are even detrimental to the artworks 114
