RESTORATION OF A LATE 19TH CENTURY WALLPAPER

The building of the Estonian Literary Museum was erected by Marie von Grote and Rittmeister Nikolai von Grote (1826–1911) in the early 1890s as their family's city residence. The luxurious Neo-Renaissance building was designed by architect Reinhold Ludwig Ernst Guleke (1834–1927). It featured grand interiors adorned with rich finishes: wallpapers, wall and ceiling paintings, polychrome stucco decoration, a wooden coffered ceiling in the dining room, and polychrome tiled stoves. Since the early 1920s, the building has been used by various institutions, including the Estonian National Museum, Fraternitas Estica, and now the Estonian Literary Museum.

The walls of a parlor were covered with a surface printed wallpaper from the year 1895. The wallpaper had preserved extensively as the parlor had been used as a storage for banned literature since the Second World War.

Our team restored the wallpaper after emptying the room of books and furniture. A small portion of the wallpaper needed to be reconstructed. It was done with stencils, finer details were painted by hand. 

Client: Estonian Literary Museum

Collaborator: Tartu Restauraator OÜ

Team: Kadri Kallaste (project management and conservation), Kristiina Ribelus (conservation and wallpaper reconstruction).  
 
Vaata lisa: Estonian Literary Museum