Studies

2018–2024 Restoration of Painted Artworks, AVU (Adam Pokorný)
2020–2021 exchange at Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL), Maastricht, Netherlands

About the work

Alžběta Mirjam Procházková’s graduation work involved the restoration of four works of art and a written thesis on the materials available for filling in defects in the paint and support of canvas paintings. She engaged in the complete restoration of two oil paintings: a Baroque portrait of Archbishop of Prague Antonín Václav Vokoun painted by an unknown artist (on loan from the Museum of Silver in Kutná Hora) and a large 1874 oil painting of a water nymph by Emil Lauffer (on loan from the National Gallery in Prague). She also restored the polychromed wooden sculpture Angel Lightbearer from Loket and is still engaged in the restoration of a mural at Kácov Castle, which should be completed in the coming months.

Recipe for nasturtium-chamomile tincture:

Pluck the flowers of the nasturtium and chamomile. In the case of nasturtium, the young leaves can also be used. Dry in a warm environment with sufficient air circulation. Finely crush the dried mixture and pour it into a dark glass jar with a screw cap. Cover with at least 50% alcohol so that the whole mixture is kept below the surface and secure with a screw cap. Store in a stable environment at room temperature. Macerate for at least six weeks. The rule of thumb here is the longer the better. Then strain through cheesecloth and store in dark glass jars with a dropper.

This tincture with its medicinal benefits can be used in several ways. In the case of incipient illness, usually occurring during the weeks of restoration of a church mural, most often in the autumn or even winter months, take 30 drops 3 times a day. Ingest alone or in tea. If a urinary tract cold occurs with the frequent alternation of hot and cold environments resulting from restoration in the summer months inside the cool monastery buildings, take up to 35 drops 4 times a day. For back pain caused by regular hunching over the work table in the studio and the beginning of the formation of the so-called restoration hump, massage the area of the sacrum and upper back between the shoulder blades with the tincture twice a day.