Van Laers Wegwyzer
Research into 18th-century silversmithing practices
At the beginning of the 18th century, the silversmith Van Laer entrusted everything he knew about his trade to paper. 300 years later, the time has now come to study his text Weg-wyzer voor aankoomend goud en zilversmeeden more closely and to make it available to a wider audience.
About the project
The booklet was printed in 1721 and was available through the silversmith's guild in Amsterdam. It describes in great detail the actions that a silversmith must be able to perform and is the most important Dutch source of information about eighteenth-century manufacturing techniques at the time. The booklet was reprinted in 1721, 1730 and 1768, indicating that it was a widely used document. The booklet will be translated into English and annotated in the coming years.
Aim of the project
An English and annotated translation will make this important resource accessible to a wider and international audience. The recipes can be compared with tracts of the same period in other languages and provide more insight into the spread of silversmithing knowledge in Europe. In addition to the actual translation, the importance of the booklet for Dutch, and perhaps overseas, silversmiths will also be examined. Little is known about Van Laer's work and life and his biography will be reviewed. Reconstructions will be made in a later phase of the project based on the recipes in the book.
Events
A symposium to mark the start of this project is being planned and will be scheduled for spring 2022.
Team
Joosje van Bennekom
Head of Metal Conservation
j.van.bennekom@rijksmuseum.nl
Ellen van Bork
Metal Conservator
e.van.bork@rijksmuseum.nl
Sara Creange
Metal Conservator
s.creange@rijksmuseum.nl
Tamar Davidowitz
Metal conservator and lecturer of conservation of metal at the UvA
t.davidowitz@rijksmuseum.nl
Robert van Langh
Head of Conservation & Science
r.van.langh@rijksmuseum.nl
Suzanne van Leeuwen
Curator and conservator jewelry
s.van.leeuwen@rijksmuseum.nl
Arie Pappot
Researcher
a.pappot@rijksmuseum.nl
Tonny Beentjes
Lecturer conservation of metal
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Thijs Hagendijk
Historian and translator
University Utrecht
Lucinda Timmermans
Curator
Zilvermuseum