Putting the shine back in the chandeliers. Restoration of the copperware housed in the big synagogue Shomre Hadas.
The Antwerp synagogue Shomre Hadas was built in 1892-1893 and was constructed according to the Neo-Moorish style. The building was designed by Ernest Stordiau (1855-1937), an architect predominantly known for the design of some Art Nouveau houses in the Antwerp neighbourhood of Zurenborg. The complete restoration of Shomre Hadas commenced in 2017 and next to stability works, also featured the full restoration of the synagogue interior.
An important part of the synagogue's collection is made up out of 37 brass light fixtures, from which the majority is also fitted with stained glass panels. The copperware had turned brown due to oxidation, and the wiring was outdated.
The chandeliers needed to return to their glossy, gold appearance and as thus, needed a good polishing. All chandeliers and other light fixtures were dismantled to their individual components. An inventory of all the different parts was made before and during dismantling. Damaged parts were repaired before polishing.
Next, every component was polished in order to obtain a shiny surface. Afterwards, we thoroughly cleaned each part to remove all remainders of the polishing materials. After degreasing a second time, a transparent varnish layer was applied to prevent future oxidation.
De smaller types of chandelier could be assembled in the workshop. All bigger types needed to be assembled and mounted on site. The glass panels were cleaned and were only fitted into the chandeliers after construction.
