Following the update of 22 May, the secretariat received another email on 1 December from Rien de Graaf, church warden of the Reformed Church in Stavenisse:
Finally, some good news about the mausoleum, after a long period of uncertainty about the date on which the IBach treatment could take place. The conclave was not sufficiently filled with the parts to be treated from the Grote Kerk in Breda and other parts from Germany, which meant that the costs were too high. In addition, the expiry date of the methyl methacrylate was approaching.
After lengthy deliberation, the German government and the Church of Breda ensured that the remaining amount was paid by them. No additional costs were charged for the front plate, which was a nice gesture on their part.
The front plate was brought to Zottegem on 14 November, and Tim Kemperman picked it up on 25 November and brought it to the church in Stavenisse. So now all the parts are “home” again. The plan is to install the front plate on 1 December and then finish everything else. After that, the work floor will be removed and the wooden fence between the pulpit and the wall will be put back in place. Once all this has been done, the mausoleum will once again be on display in all its glory in Stavenisse. We hope to invite you at a later date and inform you about the unveiling.
Here is the follow-up report from Erik Jan Brans, one of the restorers:
Thursday 22 May: preparing the structure for raising the tomb.
Monday 26 May: construction behind the tomb.
Tuesday 27 May: construction behind the tomb.
Wednesday 28 May: construction behind the tomb.
Monday 2 June: construction behind the tomb.
Tuesday 3 June: construction behind the tomb.
Wednesday 4 June: construction of black slabs behind the tomb.
Thursday 5 June: construction of black slabs behind the tomb.
Friday 6 June: construction of black slabs behind the tomb.
Tuesday 10 June: construction of black slabs behind the tomb.
Wednesday 11 June: preparation for placing the volutes. What are volutes?
The front plate is still in Zottegem. In an earlier email, I described the problems at Ibach, which mean that the blocks for Breda and also the front plate cannot be treated at this time. The restoration of various projects in Germany has come to a standstill, which means that treatments that were scheduled have been postponed and new ones have not yet been registered, so Ibach cannot fill the autoclave.
However, the substance they use has a limited shelf life. If this expires before the current filling, they will not make a new one until they can resume work. This means that the treatment of “our” blocks is very uncertain. A way is now being sought to cover the additional costs of treating the blocks in an autoclave that is not full, so that it can still be done with the current substance. The German government wants to contribute part of this and Breda has been asked to contribute as well. This is currently being negotiated and as soon as I know anything about it, I will share it. In any case, this means that the front plate will be returned much later.
Thursday 12 June: installation of the volutes and sill with filmmaker Sander Snoep for footage for the documentary.
Friday 13 June: volutes placed in the correct position, dome name volutes installed and secured to each other using the old bronze rods.
Wednesday 18 June: preparation for installing black plates on the rear part of the tomb.
Thursday 19 June: upper part behind the tomb covered with black plates.
Friday 4 July: last black plates installed behind the tomb so that this space is closed off again and the two putti can be put back in place.
Thursday 10 July: black slabs placed behind the tomb and afternoon meeting with Hendrik Jan and Erik Jan.
Monday 11 August: statue returned to the tomb, Sander is back to film.
Monday 25 August: tools and other items cleared away.
Wednesday 27 August:
Went to Zottegem this morning and also discussed the front plate there. If all goes well, it should be in the drying room, but it is currently very difficult to get in touch with IBACH. The man who oversees that process is ill and so far no one else who knows what the situation is has been able to be reached. Both Monument Vandekerckhove and BBM are trying to get clarity. I was hoping to find out more, but that didn’t work out.
Friday 29 August:
I will keep you informed. I have also received confirmation that the additional costs incurred due to the load being too small for the autoclave will not be passed on to you. These will be covered by Denkmalpfleg and the Grote Kerk Breda.
Monday 8 September: test for reformatting the text plate.
Friday 19 September:
Please find enclosed the quotation for the treatment of the front plate. I am only sending it to you now because I wanted to consult with Ben Massop to see how things stand and whether this is correct overall. It is, and the front plate is now in the drying room.
Depending on when the last blocks that need to go into the autoclave together have reached the correct level of dryness, they will be placed in the autoclave. The prognosis is that it will be ready at the end of October or beginning of November. The front plate will then be returned to Stavenisse, and we will need to consult with Hendrik to determine what else needs to be restored. It is not a quick process, but thanks to the contribution of a German foundation, Ibach themselves, and the municipality of Münster, it can be done at the normal price. The date of payment of the invoice sent by Ibach is critical. He will send it once Ben has approved the pieces, including the front plate. However, Ibach will only release the blocks once the invoice has been paid. As Breda is in a great hurry, the GKB will do this immediately, and we must do the same so as not to hold up their blocks. I will keep a close eye on this.
Wednesday 8 October:
The front plate is very fragile and the sugar-coated surfaces in particular could be reinforced by treating it according to the Ibach method.
For this treatment, the salt content must not be too high. That is why it was desalted last year and taken to Ibach. Because transport to Germany is quite expensive and a shipment was going from the Grote Kerk Breda to Ibach, it seemed convenient to combine these two shipments. There were difficulties in reducing the salt content of the blocks from Breda, which required three additional treatments, causing a delay of approximately six months. With each subsequent treatment, it was expected that it would be the last, so it would be worth waiting a little longer. In hindsight, it would have been better to send it immediately.
When the plate and blocks from Breda arrived at Ibach, we were informed that they could not be treated immediately because a shipment from Cologne had been cancelled and the autoclave could not be filled to capacity. The cost of treatment in a partially filled autoclave is the same as for a full one, which meant that very high additional costs would have to be charged for the treatment. After this message, another message arrived stating that the agent was reaching the end of its shelf life and would have to be replaced, which would result in additional high costs if it were to happen. Lobbying by Ben Massop resulted in the additional costs being covered by various parties.
This meant that there were no additional costs for Stavenisse!!! Any remaining additional costs will be borne by the Grote Kerk. The batch is currently drying. It is expected that by the end of the month, early November, the moisture content will have fallen to such an extent that it can be treated. The front plate will then be back in mid/late November.
Monday 10 November:
I received an email informing me that the autoclave will be opened today. Over the coming week, the front plate will be finished and prepared for transport. On Friday, it will be taken to Zottegem and Tim will arrange with Monument and/or BBM how the plate will be transported to Stavenisse. I understand from Tim that he will first install it, put the frame and the statue back in place, and then restore the plate. I think it would be good for Hendrik and I to come by once the plate has been installed to discuss how the plate will be further restored and to go over the whole thing again. Tim, can you let us know when we can do that?
Photographs of the progress of the restoration can be found here.
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