European Heritage Days
On the occasion of the 40th edition of Heritage Days, take a look behind the scenes at the Musée de l’Armée.
Montage de l'expositon "La haine des clans" (2023)Musée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
Setting up an exhibition
An exhibition’s setup phase is the culmination of months of work. It’s the last stage before inauguration. It consists of organising all its components in order to bring the exhibition to life.
Here, you can see the “La Haine des clans” (Hatred of the Clans) exhibition being set up. It takes 15 days to install the exhibits, adjust the lighting and attach the labels. It’s time to make the final adjustments so that everything will be perfect (and it is!).
“Every time we close a display case, the exhibition comes to life in front of our eyes. It’s always a surprise”: O. Renaudeau, exhibition curator, Chief Curator at the Musée de l’Armée’s Ancien Régime Department
Harnachement de Mamelouck recueilli sur le champ de bataille des Pyramides Vue généraleMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
Exhibition setups require arrangements of items each more remarkable than the other. Here, Mameluke arms and armour collected on the field of the Battle of the Pyramids, on display in the “Les Canons de l’élégance” (Canons of Elegance) exhibition.
Restoring a work
In the event of an object deteriorating, the Museum’s lucky enough to have three in-house restoration workshops, dedicated to the following materials: leather, metal and fabric. Let’s take a look at the fabric workshop: it was created in 1977 to restore flags and its mission was extended to all our fabric collections in 1985.
Before treatment, the object forms the subject of a condition report assessing any fragilities. Its restoration must comply with the principles of visibility and reversibility, so as to preserve its aesthetic and historical integrity. However, certain creases and tears must be preserved in order to bear witness to the object’s history.
When it’s a matter of restoring paintings, the Musée de l’Armée calls on the services of outside contractors. In 2020, on the occasion of Les Invalides’ 350th birthday, Pierre Dulin’s painted cartoon “L’établissement de l’Hôtel national des Invalides” (The Establishment of the Hôtel des Invalides) underwent extensive restoration work.
From 6 July 2020 until late March 2021, six restorers worked on a 21-m² surface. The first step was to lay the work down flat so as to restore th
Once its support was restored, the painting was laid flat again for a second intervention, this time on its paint layer.
Restauration du tableau de Dulin Restauration du tableau de DulinMusée de l'Armée - Hôtel des Invalides
Dulin’s work has undergone several restorations, one in the 19th century and two more in the 20th century. The aim of the new intervention was to restore the paint layer and its original colours. The previously applied varnish and paintwork, which had deteriorated over time, were removed.
“We do it through love of art, and a desire to find solutions, to understand the materials involved. It also requires a lot of patience and attention to detail.” Isabelle C., painting restorer
Now you know a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes at the Musée de l'Armée, come and see the result for yourself. We’re waiting for you!
A story written and edited by the teams of the Army Museum.
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