See the pictures: Restoration of Ceremonial Hall - paintings and gold

Conservators working at the University of Copenhagen’s Ceremonial Hall were happy to give the University Post a tour.

The impressive hall, site of the annual Matriculation ceremony and other university rituals, is covered in scaffolding for the second time. The first time was when the ceiling was restored by a group of Italian experts.

They were working on contract for Bo Kierkegaard Aps, the company that is also doing the wall paintings job. The job is scheduled to finish in February 2015.

Precious metal

For upcoming ceremonies and events, some of the scaffolding will be wheeled away, while other parts of it will be covered by a screen.

The restoration involves cleaning the painting, gluing, and repairing cracks.

It also includes repairing the decorative gold sheeting. The conservators have little booklets with sheets of gold leaf, and the leaf is detached and applied to the places where the gold needs repairing.

Oil paintings on the wall

The actual paintings are from the late 19th century. Mette Midtgård, who was working high up on the scaffolding, explained to the University Post that it is a complicated process .

“It is unusual to have oil paintings directly on a wall, and it is certainly a challenge to clean the paintings without damaging them,” Mette Midtgård says.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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