Winterthur has a wonderful collection of miniature objects made in
the 18th and 19th centuries that H.F. du Pont acquired and displayed
while he lived here, and we feel that this delightful dollhouse is a
great complement to that collection, she said. The fact that the
dollhouse rooms are so beautifully designed and meticulously arranged
also corresponds to H.F. du Pont's treatment of his interiors; clearly,
du Pont and Nancy McDaniel shared a keen eye for detail and design.
Kasman and Muratore, who worked on the house through UDs
undergraduate research program, carefully repaired cracked floors,
cleaned walls and windows and removed wax that had been used to hold
items in place. They dusted the books on the librarys shelves,
reattached fabric coming loose from a canopy bed and fixed the broken
hinge on a tiny violin case.
Professionals from Winterthur had traveled to Connecticut and boxed
up the items from each room before moving the dollhouse and its contents
to Delaware.
Opening each of the boxes was like Christmas for us, Kasman said.
And then opening a drawer in a piece of furniture and finding more
objects inside was really a magical kind of experience.
The variety of objects made it an especially valuable learning
experience as well, both students said, even if those objects were
unusually small.
This has allowed us to do all kinds of treatments and not be locked
into one area of specialty right now, Muratore said. Weve worked with
wood, paper, metal Theyre not complicated treatments, but I really
appreciate the range.
Vicki Cassman, associate professor in the Department of Art Conservation
and the students UD mentor for the project, called the dollhouse a
great example of a perfect summer experience for our art conservation
undergraduates.
They must apply their preventive conservation and treatment
knowledge and negotiate how to treat the antiques and modern materials
in the house, she said. Each room, and each artifact, provides a new
challenge for them.
Kasman and Muratore worked in a room that was open to visitors during
regular Winterthur hours, so they frequently explained the project to
interested passers-by. Harper called them gracious and accommodating
ambassadors for the museum and the dollhouse.
They have so far exceeded my expectations for all they accomplished
not merely cleaning and reinstalling the house, but the meticulous
research into the makers of the objects, and the thorough condition
reporting and treatment of the objects, and the ingenious methods
they have devised to keep the objects secure while on display it is
all fabulous, she said.
The dollhouse will debut to the public in mid-November in
Winterthurs Galleries Stair Hall. Harper said the museum expects to
display it every year during the Yuletide at Winterthur period and
will likely find other special uses for it at future occasions.
Article by Ann Manser
Photos by Evan Krape
Video by Ashley Barnas