Restoration: training for excellence at the INP

Twelve billion matches. That’s what the Aubervilliers factory produced every year, thanks to the white phosphorus made from bones from the region’s abattoirs. Founded in 1867, rebuilt in 1902 and dominated by a forty-five metre chimney that is now protected as a historic monument, the factory has been completely restored and, since 2015, has been training future heritage restorers (ill. 1), including specialists in the arts of fire who are hopefully sensitive to the history of the site (see the news item of 12/4/15).

The Institut National du Patrimoine offers a five-year course, leading to a diploma that allows students to work on the collections of the Musées de France. The entrance exam is not a formality, but you do have to prove your interest - and skills - in drawing and the sciences, as well as a certain dexterity - already - in the desired speciality, one of the tests being copying... A painting for some, a photograph for others, or a curling motif in marquetry, a beetle in embossed brass, an embroidery from the 18-th century, a bust of a Mede with a curly beard or the three callipygian Graces. You have forty hours (in other words, five times eight hours).

Unsurprisingly, the speciality that attracted the most students is painting (ill. 2). Charles Personnaz, Director of the INP since 2019 (listen to his interview), warns: "Paint restoration is a field where professional competition is tough". The enthusiasm for metal, on the other hand, is more subdued, and candidates are not rushing to the door. Yet the objects entrusted to restorers are very varied: musical instruments, toys, tools, archaeological objects, etc.…