The choir of the Bučovice church is decorated with a restored organ cabinet
06.01.2023
Restorers have completed the restoration of the listed organ cabinet located in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The playing part is still waiting for the restoration to be completed.
Thanks to God's help and the intercession of St. Joseph, the restoration of the organ case located in the Bučovice church was successfully completed at the end of the year.
The listed organ case from 1896 consists of a single block of wooden architecture with five pipe fields of unequal height. The cabinet is complemented by rich artistic sculpture and carving from the Baroque period. The figural decoration consists of five statues of musical angels and winged heads. The sides of the cabinet are decorated with two long rocaille carvings.
Several months of restoration work began with the dismantling of the sculptural and carving decoration, which was taken to the contractor's studio. After cleaning the surface dirt, a layer of yellowed varnish was removed from the existing marbling over the entire surface of the cabinet. The stripping was carried out using organic solvents. The paint layer was cleaned with a scalpel. The loose areas of polychrome were fixed and the damage cemented. The marbling was then retouched, which was finally finished with a varnish with beeswax. The gilding of the profiles was restored with gold leaf.
The sculptural and carving decoration has also been restored. After basic cleaning, the surface finishes and bases were fixed. After that, the younger retouchings were removed. This was followed by colour matching and the application of a protective layer of varnish. The surface was waxed and re-polished. Finally, gilding was carried out.
The restoration work was carried out by the professional company A.Q. Attentus Qualitatis s.r.o. and the expenditure amounted to CZK 847,000.
The restoration of the organ case is part of the project "Restoration of the organ and revitalization of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Bučovice", for which the Bučovice parish managed to obtain a grant from the EEA Grants 2014 - 2021 under the Culture Programme. The parish of Bučovice is also grateful for the generosity shown by companies and small donors.
Information on the EEA and Norway Grants