Work is progressing on the meticulous, large-scale restoration of the 17th century Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, a massive project that began in 2017 is planned to be completed late this year.
Commissioned by Stichting Onroerend Erfgoed Portugees-Israëlietische Gemeente and coordinated by the Jewish Cultural Quarter, the work primarily concerns a painstaking restoration of the interior of the synagogue and its wooden, brass, and gilt-leather ornamentation and fittings, including its benches and stately wooden Ark. Restoration of the entry porch has also been carried out
Built in 1675, the Portuguese Synagogue, also known as the Esnoga, is still in use for worship today and can also be visited as a historic monument. Importantly, its original interior has remained unchanged. The sanctuary has no heating and no electricity, and the only artificial light comes from hundreds of candles in brass candlesticks and hanging chandeliers.
Restoration of the brasswork is expected to be completed soon.
“The brass fittings on the ground floor are almost finished, indeed,” a spokesperson for the Jewish Cultural Quarter told JHE by email this week. “If I’m not mistaken just one more candleholder to go.”
“After restoration, the brass candleholders will be better protected against dripping wax,” the Cultural Quarter says on a web page that has followed the restoration process.
Each holder is equipped with a drip catcher fastened with a pin. It makes installing the candles a lot easier, plus they stand straight in the holders. In addition, followers are now placed on the candles: each candle has its own shield, preventing it from dripping, and so burning longer. An efficient, sustainable solution!
As part of the restoration, researchers analysed the metal used for the various items to determine the contents of the alloy to reveal more about the history of the brassware.
The first phase of the restoration of the Ark was completed in late 2021 and has continued since then.
The top, back and inside have all been cleaned, leading to the discovery of two superb 18th century linen wall hangings decorated with images of birds and flowers, the Cultural Quarter has reported.
Work has also been carried out on the ornamentation and the columns. Missing pieces were restored, using old rosewood from discarded, unrestorable furniture, for example, an old piano lid. The big ornaments at the top of the [ark] were taken down, restored, rewaxed and replaced with new supports.
Work on restoring the benches is also now under way, after a delay following tests that showed that previous restorers had used white wood glue that made disassembling the benches almost impossible.
See the web page with updates on the restoration
Read a history of the synagogue and its architecture
Benches
Work on restoring the benches has started. Tests showed that previous restorers used white wood glue in copious amounts. That has made disassembling the benches almost impossible. The restoration plan has had to be revised, so that actual restoration won’t start until 2023.