“The restored golden coach can help us look at the past differently”

According to Ferrier, it is important that the coach is given a place where this in-depth discussion can take place. “Museums, of course, are ideally suited for this. A new step has been taken recently towards the Dutch Transatlantic Slavery Museum. You can imagine that the carriage will come there and the stories raised by the carriage can be told there.”

safe as a cart

The controversy over the painting played no part in the restoration, says Mr. Bert Wassenaar. “This discussion is separate from restoration and is being conducted on other fronts.”

An important starting point for the restoration was that the bus could also be safely used as a carriage in the future. In addition, the historical value of the carriage must be preserved as a piece of art. That sometimes led to an area of ​​tension, Wassenaar says. “On the one hand, you want to keep the coach as much as possible from a historical point of view as it has become over time, and on the other hand, you have to address a number of things to allow the buggy to drive safely.”

For example, a lengthy consultation was carried out before the restoration of the wheels. There was tampering under the iron wheel rim, which could pose a safety issue in the long run. However, tire shrinkage, as it becomes tight again around the wooden sprocket, does occur under extreme heat. This is at the expense of the original gold leaf on the sparkles. “It was a very meticulous process of figuring out how you can do the shrinkage while keeping the gilding as much as possible,” Wassenaar says.

The vehicle maker explains to the Golden Coach advisory committee why it should trim wheels: