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Johann Jakob Schlesinger (1792–1855)

Artist – Copyist – Conservator

This research project was focused on the first conservator of Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie, Johann Jakob Schlesinger. This monographic investigation also looked into the conservation and restoration history of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in the first half of the 19th century (addressing the people involved and the locations used, giving a chronology of developments, as well as an overview of restoration and conservation techniques employed).

During the establishment phase of what was then the Königliche Gemäldegalerie, between its initial founding in 1824 and its official opening in 1830, Schlesinger was a key figure in one of the most extensive conservation and restoration projects carried out in the 19th century in the German-speaking world. He oversaw the conservation and restoration of the the core holdings of the Gemäldegalerie, most of which were drawn from the Solly Collection). As the first conservator employed by the Königliche Museen (later the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), from 1831 onwards, Schlesinger was consulted in all of the collection’s affairs.

Research into the materials and methods used at that time not only allows us to draw conclusions about the conservation state of specific paintings in the collection at the time, but also expands our knowledge and understanding of the conservation and restoration of paintings in German-speaking countries in the 19th century. The importance of one of the first textbooks on the conservation and restoration of paintings, Ueber Restauration alter Oelgemälde, by Christian Koester, was assessed through a comparison of its teachings to the methods employed by Schlesinger, enabling a reappraisal of the significance of this work. This research was able to demonstrate the Koester’s writings document the major conservation and restoration methods that were employed at the royal restoration workshop during Schlesinger’s tenure. Christian Koester – a friend, colleague, and brother-in-law of Schlesinger – worked at the Berlin workshop from 1824 to 1829.

In order to gain an understanding of Schlesinger’s conservation and restoration work, it was essential to also consult his artistic oeuvre, including paintings and copies of works by the Old Masters. The first ever inventory of these works was created in a number of annotated catalogues.

  • Ute Stehr: “Die Gutachten von Johann Jakob Schlesinger (1792–1855) über Schriften von Friedrich Lucanus und Friedrich Knirim“, in: Zeitschrift für Kunsttechnologie und Konservierung 24:2 (2010), pp. 337–351.
  • Ute Stehr: “Johann Jakob Schlesinger (1792–1855) Künstler – Kopist – Restaurator”, in: Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 53 (2011), supplement, Berlin 2012, pp. 11–24.
  • Ute Stehr: “Christian Koesters Schrift ‘Ueber Restauration alter Oelgemälde’ und die Praxis des Restaurators Johann Jakob Schlesinger – ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Gemälderestaurierung in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts”, in: VDR Beiträge zur Erhaltung von Kunst- und Kulturgut 2 (2012), pp. 83–95.
  • Ute Stehr: “Die Anwendung historischer Techniken in der Gemälderestaurierung in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts in Berlin”, in: Historische Techniken und Rezepte: Teil 2; Vergessen und wiederentdeckt, Beiträge des 9. Konservierungswissenschaftlichen Kolloquiums in Berlin/Brandenburg am 20. November 2015 in Berlin-Dahlem, Arbeitshefte des Brandenburgischen Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege und Archäologischen Landesmuseums 36 (2015), pp. 102–111.

Objectives and outcomes: Investigating the conservation and restoration history of the first half of the 19th century as part of the history of the collection, and securing insights into historical conservation and restoration methods applied to paintings
Project overseen by: Dresden University of Fine Arts (HfBK), Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Lead researchers: Dr Ute Stehr (Conservator-restorer at the Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin)
Project team: Prof. Dr Ulrich Schießl (HfBK Dresden)
Project partners: Zentralarchiv, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Geheimes Staatsarchiv, SPK; Stiftung Preussische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg; Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Stiftung Stadtmuseum, Berlin; Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer; Dombauamt Speyer; Kurpfälzisches Museum, Heidelberg; Erkenbert-Museum, Frankenthal; Kunsthalle Mannheim; Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
Project duration: 2002 to 2010