Loan of use

What do I as a borrower need to pay for a loan and why?

The ICN does not charge for loans. The cost of ‘preparing the object’ for loan is charged to the borrower by the ICN. These are the costs of (any) restoration, packaging and transport. These costs are always communicated to the borrower in advance of the object being loaned.The borrower also needs to take into account the cost of transport & packaging at the end of the loan. The ICN will also charge the cost of repairs, if during the loan period damage has occurred to the object on loan.

I am looking for several objects to (re)furnish a room. Can the ICN help me?

Yes, probably. The collection the ICN manages contains fairly extensive subcollections of Modern Art, Old Art and Applied Arts. When you send a written loan request to the Collections department and state clearly what kind of objects you are looking for and what type of room it is, you will receive a written proposal, including a quote. Part of the ICN collection can be seen on this website.

Is it allowed to loan an ICN loan temporarily to another museum, for an exhibition for example?

Yes, providing the current (museum) borrower has been registered in the NMV (Netherlands Museum Association)/LCM (Foundation for National Contact between Museum Consultants) register, this borrower is authorized without the intervention of the loaner (the ICN) to temporarily loan to another museum institution in the Netherlands, providing it is also registered in the NMV/LCM register and providing a period of four months is not exceeded. If the loan period will exceed four months, or if the loan is to an institution abroad, permission must always be requested from the ICN in advance.

We have been asked for an image of an object that we have on loan from the ICN. Are we allowed to take a photograph (or have it taken)?

No, exploitation and publication of object images that have been given on loan by the ICN is not permitted without prior written permission.

As the result of renovation, we have been forced to temporarily house the loans from the ICN collection elsewhere. Do we need to report this?

Yes, you must report this for our object registration. In theory, the objects on loan from the ICN are for a fixed location and may not be moved without permission from the ICN. In many cases, the ICN will take care of the transport itself and can provide temporary accommodation for the objects. The borrower must in all cases inform the Collections department of an intended move of an object on loan, even if this regards an internal move.

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Conservation

How can mould be controlled?

ICN can help with advice regarding the prevention and control of mould. Click on the link below for the publication 'Pluis in huis : geïntegreerde bestrijding van schimmels in archieven' (Uninvited guests: integrated control of moulds in archives).

How can mould be prevented?

Ensure that the relative humidity of a room is never higher than 60 percent. Especially prevent micro climates, i.e. that the climate in a certain place deviates from the climate in the rest of the room. Micro climates can, for example, arise behind a painting and often occur in a cold and therefore damp corner of a room. ICN can help with advice regarding the prevention and control of mould. Also see the publication 'Pluis in huis: geïntegreerde bestrijding van schimmels in archieven' (Uninvited guests: integrated control of moulds in archives).

How do I know if iron gall ink has been used?

With the iron test, specially developed by Han Neevel. This is available from the company Preservation Equipment Ltd.

What is this strange deposit on the object?

We cannot say straight-away. We first need to examine the object and deposit and identify the deposit by means of analyses. If the circumstances in which it has been kept are known, it can be possible to ascertain the cause of the deposit. Dependent on the identification, advice can be given regarding the removal of the deposit.

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Risk management

Which soft foam is suitable?

In theory, the foams to which no dangerous substances have been added that could be released in the course of time are suitable. For storage, polyethene foam in various cell types is most suitable.

Which fire extinguishing agents are suitable?

Fire causes irreversible damage and must consequently be extinguished. Even so, every fire extinguishing agent is an emergency solution because of the damage that can occur as a result of the water, the powder or the surfactants that are released when they are used. The ICN advises the use of a carbon dioxide extinguisher as a small fire extinguishing agent for the first fighting of the fire and, after that, water from the fire hose. The fire hose should be equipped with a misting nozzle. The normal jet is too powerful and could cause damage to the collection.

How do I make an emergency plan?

The publication ‘Voor het kalf verdronken is : handleiding voor het maken van een museaal calamiteitenplan’ (It’s too late to lock the stable door: manual for making a museum emergency plan) provides all the information necessary for writing an emergency plan. On this website, we offer "Handreiking bij het schrijven van een calamiteitenplan" (Assistance with writing an emergency plan) (see link below). In addition, customized advice is possible, from supervising right up to actually making an emergency plan.

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Collection management

How do I make a collection plan?

The publication ‘Handreiking voor het schrijven van een collectieplan’ (Assistance with writing a collection plan) offers practical help in making a collection plan. In the Collection Management course, making a collection plan is also dealt with. In addition, customized advice is possible, from supervising right up to actually writing a collection plan.

I understand that the ICN has an overview of the Netherlands Collection. Does the ICN known where object x is?

The ICN does not have a complete catalogue of all Dutch collections. It does have one for the ICN collection, which contains approximately 100,000 objects. Of course, the ICN members of staff do have a lot of knowledge of the Dutch museums’ collections.

Is my painting an original Rembrandt? Can you check to see if my painting is an original Rembrandt?

No, the ICN does not perform authenticity research. However, material research by the ICN can contribute to confirming or refuting hypotheses regarding a work. In the first instance, authenticity research is set up by connoisseurs and historians and only material research is supported.

What is the value of our collection? Can the ICN establish the cultural-historical value and the physical condition of our collection?

The cultural-historical value of collections can be determined by the ICN. Cultural-historical value is relative. With its knowledge of the Netherlands Collection, the ICN can compare the value of a collection in relation to other comparable public collections in the Netherlands. (This does not concern a financial estimate.) The physical condition and the conservation requirements can be established for each object (spot check/quickscan) and/or for each subcollection by the ICN.

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