Tim repairs a Bulldog and carves a Rooster

For the new main building of energy network operator Alliander we recently repaired a statue and added its counterpart.

I say 'We', because I was in charge of this project, but the execution is largely Tim's own. Tim is my nephew Tim Kaarsemaker, who ended up in my workshop after studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent.

A ceramic Bulldog…

I was approached if I could repair a broken ceramic work by Willem Coenraad Brouwer , a well known ceramicist from the 1920s. It came from the former power station in Velsen, and had once had a counterpart in the form of a Rooster. At the time they were facade ornaments and the holes for the drain pipe were still clearly visible. I thought it could be a nice learning project for Tim and took on the job.

We started by gluing together the many pieces and removing the old layers of mortar (it looked as if this Dog had been dismantled with an excavator!), after which Tim managed to conceal all the cracks invisibly using various means. We closed the downspout holes, so that people don't throw coffee cups in it. However, we did it in such a way that it is still clearly visible where they were located. I then welded a stainless steel suspension system with which it could hang from the columns of the reception hall.

…and a sandstone Rooster

Tim then sculpted a mirrored Rooster in clay and carved it into a new block of sandstone, and managed to get it in the same color scheme as the Dog with patinas. We hollowed out the back and made a stainless steel suspension system for it again.

Finally, we installed the Dog and the Rooster (symbol for Power and Light) in the reception area of ​​the new main building, next to the grand staircase. With a smart lifting solution, it all fit perfectly in the end.

Photo report: repair, modelling, into new limestone, installing