Reconstruction Manual
Print all chapters6. Wooden elements in the interior and exterior
From the outside, the Jurkovič House appears to be a relatively
massive, masonry building, Its volume is relieved by wooden
elements on the frontage such as beams, gables, trellises and
segmented windows. These refer to the material basis of the house
at the same time as reflecting Jurkovič's original take on folk
architecture. The half-timbering is, however, purely artistic; it
is worked...
Zavřít okno6. Wooden elements in the interior and exterior
From the outside, the Jurkovič House appears to be a relatively
massive, masonry building, Its volume is relieved by wooden
elements on the frontage such as beams, gables, trellises and
segmented windows. These refer to the material basis of the house
at the same time as reflecting Jurkovič's original take on folk
architecture. The half-timbering is, however, purely artistic; it
is worked into the plaster surface and does not generally
correspond with the genuine wooden framework of the house. The
colours of the elements of the wooden frontage dictated the colour
scheme of the entire house. The blue scumble of the false beams and
the opaque blue of the window frames were set off by bright yellow
gables with red details and white underboarding. Red trellises for
climbing plants, originally found on all frontages, lent a striking
accent, while the green of the growth they supported made its
contribution to the colour scheme of the house.
The wooden elements in the exterior were restored
and repainted several times in the 20th century. The last major
restoration took place in the mid-1960's, as part of a restoration
of the whole frontage, in the course of which all the existing
paint layers were removed. The house owners planned to restore the
original colour scheme, following period colour photographs and
plans.
The recent restoration aimed to restore the
original colour scheme of the wooden parts of the frontage to the
maximum degree, adding stratigraphic research probes to the
research, and has been successful.
Videoseries (6/10) - Wooden elements:
Zavřít okno6. 1 Frontage beams
| Object | Frontage beams |
| Lacation in House | Frontage |
| Material | wood, blue scumble |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol.
|
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The half-timbering (beams on the frontage) and certain other wooden elements of the house draw attention to its integral structure. Originally, the beams framed a mosaic on the south frontage, while to the west (overlooking the garden) and the north they formed complexes that set off the square grids of the windows. The purpose of the beams was almost entirely artistic, since they are merely let into the plaster surface and play no structural role. Jurkovič opted to paint them in blue scumble which, just like the other blue components, made reference to Moravian and Slovak folk architecture. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The colour scheme of the beams was last restored in the mid-1960’s as part of a restoration of the whole exterior, when the house owners attempted to reproduce the original colours as closely as possible, with the aid of period descriptions. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The restoration included research into the initial colours; the beams were cleaned and provided with a new layer of blue scumble that restores the house to its original colour concept. |
| Keywords | beams, false beams, frontage, wooden elements, colour scheme, surfaces, blue scumble |
Zavřít okno6.2 Gables
| Object | Gables |
| Lacation in House | Roof |
| Material | wood; red, yellow and white paint |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol.
|
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The roof gables, as well as the other wooden parts of the exterior, draw attention to the materials integral to the house and reflect Jurkovič’s inspiration in folk art. Each gable of the complex roofscape refers to a room on the first floor. This composition led to a highly intricate approach to the truss construction.
The gables were yellow with red elements and blue lining. They were provided with underboarding, possibly in white, with air holes leading to the loft. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The colour scheme of the gables was last restored in the mid-1960’s as part of a restoration of the whole exterior, when the house owners attempted to reproduce the original colours as closely as possible, with the aid of period descriptions. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The restoration included research into the primary colours, which disclosed an original layer of scumble oil paint pigmented with Prussian blue and synthetic ultramarine on the lining of the gables. The gable areas were yellow with red details. As a part of the restoration, the gables were removed and taken to a workshop, cleaned and provided with a new layer of paint that helps restore the house to its original colour concept. |
| Keywords | gable, roof, frontage, wooden elements, colour scheme, surfaces |
Zavřít okno6.3 Doors
| Object | Doors |
| Material | wood, glass, metal |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana and Karol Bayer, research into surfaces and materials (2006–2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek et al. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The interior comprises several types of doors of different shapes and styles. The main entrance door and the staircase-hall door have two wings, those in the remaining rooms only have one wing. The doors in the basement were typified by a simple functional form. The doors in the residential rooms (hall, drawing room) were painted in scumble or opaque paint, with decorative carving of the edges accentuated by paint in matching colours. The majority of doors contained glass fillings. All the doors in the house, apart from those in the basement, were inserted in wooden frames. The doors were provided with different types of fittings, depending on the importance of the rooms; the doors in the hall and the adjacent rooms include the most intricate and elegant fittings, while the remaining ones feature standard fittings. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | In the course of their existence, the doors in the house were covered with several layers of paint. |
| Reconstruction procedure | Probes revealed original paint underneath secondary layers. The staircase-hall door had original green scumble with red detail of carving preserved underneath more recent over-paintings. This indicates that all the wooden elements in the hall might have been originally painted in scumble that has not been preserved. More recent layers of paint were removed both mechanically and chemically (solvents). Original colours of the remaining doors were determined and the doors were subsequently provided with a new coat of paint. |
| Keywords | door, wooden elements, scumble, blue opaque paint, colour scheme, surfaces, fittings |
Zavřít okno6.4 Wine cellar entrance
| Object | Wine cellar entrance |
| Lacation in House | Basement |
| Material | wood, blue scumble, opaque blue and red paint, fittings |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | From the garden on the west side of the house one could go down some steps into a wine cellar. The door was studded with the decorative heads of iron nails. The entrance to the cellar was framed by a decorative portal on four carved wooden posts painted in blue scumble, with red detail. The portal posts supported a small roof with tiles, while above it was a large vestibule window with a flower box. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The portal had been provided with several layers of paint, the last of which was in a shade of turquoise. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The entrance portal of the wine cellar was cleaned and stripped of secondary layers of paint. The posts were painted in dark-blue scumble, with the detail picked out in red. The decorative fitting of the entrance door was cleaned and the door was given a layer of opaque paint in its original washing-blue. |
| Reference
| Dušan Jurkovič, Výstava architektury a uměleckého průmyslu 1906, Brno 1906.
Karel Elgart Sokol, Jurkovičova výstava, in: Národní Listy XLVI, 21. 8. 1906.
František Žákavec, Dílo Dušana Jurkoviče, Praha 1929.
Dagmar Černoušková – Zoja Matulíková – Martina Straková – Robert Václavík – Petr Všetečka, Vila Dušana Jurkoviče v Brně-Žabovřeskách ve světle komplexního průzkumu, in: Průzkumy památek XVI, 1/2009, pp. 73–106.
|
| Keywords | basement, cellar, wine cellar, entrance, portal, posts, wooden elements, blue scumble, colour scheme, fitting |
Zavřít okno6.5 Windows
| Object | Windows |
| Material | wood, glass, metal |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 /1911 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The windows of the Jurkovič House face all four cardinal points and the majority of the rooms are illuminated by natural light. Most of the windows are double casement wood-framed ones opening to various degrees, with the glass simply inserted into putty. The basement windows are steel-framed.
The layout and composition of the windows exhibit a deliberate irregularity and contrast between small- and large-scale that is repeated in many other elements of the house. Each window has a different number of casements and is segmented differently. The glazing forms regular grids, either as the whole window or part of it.
The external surfaces were painted in opaque blue that harmonised with the colours of the other exterior elements.
The windows feature two kinds of fittings: those in the social “display” rooms on the ground floor are of a refined, atypical shape, while windows in the other rooms have simple standard fittings.
|
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The windows were relatively well preserved, without serious defects, although several frames had been damaged by damp. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The majority of windows were left in place during the reconstruction and completely restored, as were the original fittings. Only a few wooden parts were replaced: the wood was reinforced, any non-original varnish was carefully removed and the wood was painted in an oil paint in the original colour. All the original details and components were preserved (screws, hinges, panes); the mechanical components were restored to their original state. Putty was not replaced, only added in places where it was missing.
Internal surfaces (front of the frame and casements in the rooms) were not stripped, only lightly sanded down and painted in opaque paint, as the authentic layer underneath may be restored later.
Non-original inside windows were removed from the new research room in the attic. Several double casement windows in the cellar were newly made.
|
| Keywords | window, wooden elements, blue opaque paint, colour scheme, surfaces, fitting
|
Zavřít okno6.6 Hall window
| Object | Hall window |
| Lacation in House | Staircase hall |
| Material | wood, glass, carbon steel, metal |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Tomáš Flimel, mechanismus otvírání okna;
Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Tomáš Flimel, restaurování mechanismu otvírání okna;
Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol., restaurování dřevěných prvků |
| Reconstruction Date | 2007/2009-2010 |
| Description | In the hall, a window situated high in the western wall was a major source of light for the room that had a relatively dark, carved truss. This large window contrasts with a small one below it providing a view over the loggia into the garden. It is a double wooden casement window without a sill. It has four sections; the external side casements do not open, while the internal and central external casements do. The glazing makes up a square grid.
The window fitting comprises a system of cogwheels and chains that enabled manual mechanical opening of the two ventilation parts from the hall (the bottom edge of the window lies ca. 3.5 m above the floor).
The window-opening mechanism opened two windows: one part of the internal window and one of the external one. A crank-type mechanism opening the window, including a movement screw with a driving threaded piece, lies between the internal and external windows, in both the bottom and upper sections. This double mechanism prevented the two casements jamming when being opened or closed. The mechanism between the windows featured a chain by which it could be set in motion, with a crank and a driving wheel.
|
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The window opening mechanism did not survive complete and was not functional. The drive, consisting of a bracket with a crank (bolt) and a driving wheel with a light wire chain, was missing. This part of the mechanism may have been removed due to damage or in order to make room for other equipment in the room.
The second part of the system was preserved almost complete, with only some tiny components missing. This movement mechanism lies between the internal and external windows and consists of transmission chain wheels with shafts and brackets, driving wheels of a chain, a shaft, a movement screw with a threaded piece, a crank-type mechanism with a bracket, the clamp of the internal and external casements with bolts, the catch drivers of the internal and external casements with bolts and screws and a secondary chain.
|
| Reconstruction procedure | All the original preserved parts (i.e. parts of the mechanism between the windows apart from the cogwheels) were repaired and used again after restoration. The original chain wheels were restored, deposited in the MG and replaced with new steel wheels with teeth appropriate to a new light roller chain.
The missing parts, i.e. the bracket with crank, a cogwheel and a chain, were newly designed and made, the bracket of the handshaft bolt as a riveted type appropriate to the period of the mechanism.
The restored mechanism was installed in its original place and is fully functional.
The wooden parts of the window were restored, including renovation of the original fitting to a fully functional state. Secondary layers of paint were removed and the external parts of the window were provided with a new layer of oil paint in washing blue, corresponding with Jurkovič’s original colour scheme.
|
| Keywords | hall, hall window, opening mechanism, colour scheme, surfaces, blue opaque paint |
Zavřít okno6.7 Drawing room window
| Object | Drawing room window |
| Lacation in House | Drawing room |
| Material | wood, glass, metal |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906, 1911/1913 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | Visitors to the drawing room were impressed by the large French window giving onto the garden. Its somewhat oblique shape indicates that the architect was inspired by a house designed for the sculptor Ludwig Habich (1872–1949) in Darmstadt by the architect Joseph Maria Olbrich. The oblique window lit the space of Habich’s studio. The French window in the Jurkovič House was probably not very weatherproof, and during reconstruction work in 1911 and 1913 Jurkovič had it replaced with a more classic one. A central heating unit stood in front of the window and there were flower tables at the sides. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | Considering its age, the window was in relatively good condition, with no serious damage. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The window was restored, including the restoration of the original fittings to a fully functional state. Secondary layers of paint were removed and the external parts of the window were provided with a new layer of oil paint in washing blue, corresponding with Jurkovič’s original colour scheme. |
| Reference
| Dušan Jurkovič, Výstava architektury a uměleckého průmyslu 1906, Brno 1906.
Karel Elgart Sokol, Jurkovičova výstava, in: Národní Listy XLVI, 21. 8. 1906
František Žákavec, Dílo Dušana Jurkoviče, Praha 1929.
Dagmar Černoušková – Zoja Matulíková – Martina Straková – Robert Václavík – Petr Všetečka, Vila Dušana Jurkoviče v Brně-Žabovřeskách ve světle komplexního průzkumu, in: Průzkumy památek XVI, 1/2009, pp. 73–106 |
| Keywords | drawing room, showroom, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Darmstadt, central heating, colour scheme, blue opaque paint, window |
Zavřít okno6.8 Bay window in the bedroom
| Object | Bay window |
| Lacation in House | Bedroom |
| Material | wood, glass, metal |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | A bay window usually has a trapezoid ground plan with windows on three sides. In the interior it is more closely connected with the room than, for example, an alcove, and it is usually smaller. The bay window in the Jurkovič House could seat two people at the most, who could sit there in quiet contemplation. The seating furniture in bay windows often included small desks and flower tables. Dušan Jurkovič furnished his in such fashion and separated the space with a step, just as he did in the alcove. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | Considering their age, the three windows were in relatively good condition, without serious damage.
The furniture did not survive and the step had been removed.
|
| Reconstruction procedure | The original wall decoration was reproduced, the windows were restored, as were their original fittings, to a fully functional state. Secondary layers of paint were removed and the external parts of the windows were provided with a new layer of oil paint in washing blue corresponding with Jurkovič’s original colour scheme. The step was renewed using period photographs and plans for reference. |
| Reference
| Dušan Jurkovič, Výstava architektury a uměleckého průmyslu 1906, Brno 1906.
Karel Elgart Sokol, Jurkovičova výstava, in: Národní Listy XLVI, 21. 8. 1906
František Žákavec, Dílo Dušana Jurkoviče, Praha 1929.
Dagmar Černoušková – Zoja Matulíková – Martina Straková – Robert Václavík – Petr Všetečka, Vila Dušana Jurkoviče v Brně-Žabovřeskách ve světle komplexního průzkumu, in: Průzkumy památek XVI, 1/2009, pp. 73–106
|
| Keywords | bedroom, window, bay window, alcove, oriel window, colour scheme, surfaces, blue opaque paint |
Zavřít okno6.9 Oriel window in the study
| Object | Oriel window |
| Lacation in House | Study |
| Material | dřevo; sklo; kov |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Author of new design | Zoja Matulíková, Taťjana a Karol Bayerovi, průzkumy povrchů a materiálů (2006-2007) |
| Restaurateur | Václav Vičar, Radek Ryšánek a kol. |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The Jurkovič House was the first house to be built in the area. This part of Žabovřesky, also known as “Below the hill” or “By the Emperor’s Wood”, was then something of a meadow. It commanded unique views down over the River Svratka and of the hills on the horizon. For his study on the first floor Jurkovič, designed an oriel window with a view contained in an angle of 270°. This was a popular architectural element at the time and it also features in other buildings designed by Jurkovič as well as those of Josef Hoffmann and others. The oriel window had a wooden frame covered with plastered cork board. Unlike the tiled main roofing, its over-piece was made of metal. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | Considering their age, the individual windows of the oriel were in relatively good condition, without serious damage. The protruding bay had been exposed to the weather and one of its frames was affected by damp and the larvae of a wood-eating beetle (longhorned beetle). |
| Reconstruction procedure | The wood damaged by the longhorned beetle required reinforcement, which took the form of petrification. The frame could not be taken out and the restorers had to work on the spot. They opted for a non-standard procedure, soaking and infusing the frame. They led seven infusion sets from four infusion vessels into the holes made by the beetle larvae, and for approximately 24 hours the wood was soaked with a conservation and petrification solution that contained 2.4 l of a 15% solution of Solakryl BMX in petrochemical xylene with 0.1 l of 5% Lignofix I-profi concentrate. The solution penetrated all visible damage and holes and reinforced the wood after drying. The procedure selected was kind to both the material and the object. |
| Reference
| Dušan Jurkovič, Výstava architektury a uměleckého průmyslu 1906, Brno 1906.
Karel Elgart Sokol, Jurkovičova výstava, in: Národní Listy XLVI, 21. 8. 1906
František Žákavec, Dílo Dušana Jurkoviče, Praha 1929.
Dagmar Černoušková – Zoja Matulíková – Martina Straková – Robert Václavík – Petr Všetečka, Vila Dušana Jurkoviče v Brně-Žabovřeskách ve světle komplexního průzkumu, in: Průzkumy památek XVI, 1/2009, pp. 73–106
|
| Keywords | study, window, oriel window, bay window, petrification, infusion, Josef Hoffmann
|
Zavřít okno6.10 Terrace railing (flower boxes) and trellises
| Object | Terrace railing (flower boxes) and trellises |
| Lacation in House | Terrace above the entrance loggia |
| Material | wood |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | 1906 |
| Replica maker | Václav Vičar |
| Reconstruction Date | 2009-2010 |
| Description | The terrace above the entrance loggia was provided with a railing made up of triangular wooden elements set between stone posts. Wooden flower boxes stood in front of the triangles. In addition, a small flower pot with a square base widening upwards stood on each post. The triangular railing was identical with the fencing of Habich’s house in Darmstadt (1901) by Joseph Maria Olbrich. This is not the only similarity with Habich’s house; in the drawing room, Jurkovič opted for Olbrich’s design of a window in a shallow oblique risalit. |
| State of preservation before reconstruction | In the late 1960’s, the house exterior was given a major restoration. However, the terrace was only modified. The paving was covered with tin and a metal railing was installed to replace the wooden one, of a similar design. The metal railing was inserted in the axis between the stone posts. The flower boxes were not renewed. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The non-original metal railing and the tin plating on the posts and the terrace floor were removed. Designs for replicas of the wooden triangular railings, rectangular and conical flower boxes (painted in blue) and other wooden elements of the exterior were made in the light of Jurkovič’s plans. Each flower pot contains a waterproof zinc-plated metal pot to preserve the wood. |
| Reference
| B. Krimmel (ed.), Umělecká kolonie Darmstadt 1899–1914, exhibition catalogue,
Praha 1989, pp. 45-52, 159, 221,
Jindřich Vybíral, Mladí mistři. Architekti ze školy Otto Wagnera na Moravě a ve Slezsku, Praha 2002, p. 30.
|
| Keywords | railing, terrace, flower box, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Darmstadt, wooden element, exterior, colour scheme, surfaces |
Zavřít okno6.11 Pergolas
| Object | Pergolas |
| Lacation in House | Garden/ fencing |
| Material | wood |
| Author | Dušan Jurkovič |
| Dating (original) | after 1913 |
| Replica maker | Václav Vičar |
| Reconstruction Date | 2010 |
| Description | The Jurkovič House was organically linked with the natural environment of the garden and its surroundings. Such a merging of architecture and vegetation was demonstrated on the frontage of the house, its trellises for climbing plants, and also in the garden, in the shape of pergolas, small wooden constructions dividing the space and providing support for more creepers and climbers. Jurkovič’s designs of three types of pergolas are dated 1913. The dating may be wrong, added later, or perhaps the architect concentrated on the garden only after the completion of the house (including extensive reconstructions in 1911–1913).
Two pergolas of the same type (elongated walk-through tunnels) had places on the paths in the bottom section of the garden, “by Mr. Kunz’s house”. Another two, shaped like simple gates, stood above the steps leading to the lower section of the garden, on the sides of an area in front of the entrance loggia. The final pergola, the only one of its kind, stood “by the well, on the path leading to the entrance”.
|
| State of preservation before reconstruction | The original pergolas did not survive and their original colours are unknown. |
| Reconstruction procedure | The pergolas were restored in the light of Jurkovič’s drawings. The red colour used is a stylised reinterpretation of the original work; however, it corresponds with the red identified on the trellises on the house frontage. |
| Keywords | pergola, garden, trellises |
.JPG)
