Online presentation: The Restoration of the Rubens Chapel

Following the extensive renovation of St James’s Church in Antwerp, the restored Rubens Chapel was also reopened to the public. During this lecture, we explore the various aspects of the research, restoration, and conservation of Rubens’ funerary chapel. The Baroque portico altar with the altarpiece Madonna surrounded by Saints, painted by Peter Paul Rubens himself, the epitaph of Rubens’ eldest son Albertus, and two 19th-century funerary monuments were restored by an interdisciplinary team. You will discover how this restoration team worked step by step: from the preliminary study and technical material analysis to the testing phases and the final restoration.

In addition, you will gain insight into the origin and development of the Rubens Chapel and how it has evolved into the gem it is today. You will learn why Rubens chose this place as his final resting place and how he stipulated in his will that both the painting and the marble sculpture of the Mater Dolorosa were to be placed in the family altar.

The presentation thus offers not only a unique perspective on this restoration project, but also an understanding of how heritage conservation works today: the considerations restorers make, how interdisciplinary research is conducted, and how historical authenticity and contemporary conservation principles come together.

Karen Bonne has been a conservator-restorer in the Painting Studio since 2014. There, she mainly works on 17th-century artworks, including Rubens’ The Return of the Holy Family from Jerusalem, located in the Carolus Borromeus Church in Antwerp. Together with Livia Depuydt, she was responsible for the study and restoration of the altarpiece from Rubens’ funerary chapel: Virgin and Child Surrounded by Saints (late 1630).