A ‘painted chamber’ in Beverwijk by Jacobus Luberti Augustini: novel insights into the working methods and painting practices in a painted wall-hanging factory

The restoration of the ‘painted chamber’ in Beverwijk by Jacobus Luberti Augustini instigated an in-depth technical study of the room and its painted canvas wall hangings. Through close observation with the naked eye, ultraviolet light, infrared reflectography and the study of paint samples in combination with art historical and archival research and information from contemporary art technological sources, insights were provided into the production practice of an 18th-century painted wallhanging factory (a so-called behangselfabriek, a large workshop in which several painters worked together on painted wall hangings under the supervision of one painter). Research showed that within the same room different types of canvas and grounds were used. The canvases were prepared in the workshop in such a way that seams would not be visible, following the instructions of Lambertus Simis as cited in his painting treatise of 1801. Infrared reflectography and the study of the painting technique revealed various types of underdrawing and painting methods, demonstrating the different hands that worked on the ensemble. To guarantee the overall unity and ensure the optical illusion of the painted ensemble, several measures were taken such as indications of the same level of the horizon throughout the individual landscape paintings, working instructions inscribed on the reverse of the canvases, and painting the canvas borders surrounding the landscape paintings and wooden panelling in the room all at once in situ.