Restoration of sister portraits

The Ypres Museum has no fewer than 90 works by the Ypres artist Louise De Hem. Some works are on permanent display in the museum, but the majority are kept in the depot of the Ypres museums, the DEPOTYZE heritage depot. Especially for the exhibition LOUISE/EDITH. Carried on hands, several works were given a facelift and moved to the Royal Hall.

The three sister portraits

The exhibition features three works from the collection of the Ypres almshouses. These are portraits of the superiors of the almshouses, powerful charitable institutions at the end of the 19th century. They commissioned Louise De Hem to paint their official portraits. We are introduced to Miss Spruytte, superior of the Sint-Jansgodshuis, Miss Ghesquiere, superior of the Belle almshouse, and Miss Degryse, superior of the O.L. Vrouwgasthuis. The three oil paintings were made around 1900. At that time, Louise De Hem was at the height of her career. She won several prizes at international salons and was popular as a portrait painter, also among nuns.

The three women are depicted against a neutral background wearing their nuns' uniforms, black robes with white hoods. Two of the three uniforms are decorated with ermine sleeves, a warm and particularly expensive material. They clearly show the social status of the women. We also keep ermine sleeves from the collection of the almshouses in the depot. The chair on which Miss Spruytte is sitting is also kept in the depot.

Louise De Hem also painted the official portraits of the Ypres mayors Arthur de Volsberghe and René Colaert. She was asked to paint the latter again two years later, this time in his role as senator. These three works of political leaders can also be admired in the exhibition and hang directly opposite the convent superiors. This was a conscious choice by our curators. The three women are, as it were, the female counterparts of the mayors.

Refresh and relocation

Moving all these paintings and pastels from the depot to the museum is no easy task. The pastel drawings are particularly sensitive to shocks, as the pastel particles are loose on the paper. We therefore transport them flat. The paintings, on the other hand, can be transported upright. Here, we must take particular care to protect the corners of the frames and the image side of the canvas. Any handling of an object can cause damage.