At Work
When you walk into the “Sculptures” room in the permanent exhibition, you step into the world of Cuypers’ workshop. There, you can literally hear the sculptors at work.
Taking center stage in this room is the toolbox of sculptor Gerardus van Helden. He began working at the Cuypers & Co. studio on November 17, 1920—during the time Joseph Cuypers was at the helm of the company. The box contains his chisels, gouges, a compass, plumb bobs, square, and measuring sticks. The chisels in the box are marked with “GvH” and “GH,” making it clear that they were his tools. Each employee brought his own tools to work.
A time log has also been preserved in the box, in which Van Helden recorded his hours worked and noted which assignment he was working on that day. He worked 8.5- or 9.5-hour days and also put in an additional 5.5 hours on Saturdays. On June 10, 1930, Van Helden notes that he attended the unveiling of the Dr. Cuypers statue on Munsterplein, but then went on to work another 4.5 hours on a statue of St. Joseph!
On Tuesday, February 11, 1936, he worked 4.5 hours on a “Mary with Child,” but then he wrote: “End of work at Cuypers & Co.” He was 67 years old at the time.
Van Helden’s grandson, Mr. Bongaerts of Roermond, has loaned the chest to the Cuypershuis. The family has preserved photographs showing Van Helden at work in the sculptor’s workshop. In a photograph featured in the commemorative publication *Cuypers’ Werkplaatsen 1853–1930* (Cuypershuis Collection), he is pictured with a hammer in his hand, standing at the front among the other workers.
Gerardus van Helden is also listed in the workers’ register. A 1935 entry notes that he earned 67 cents per hour. By comparison, a porter earned 38 cents, a painter 68 cents, and sculptor’s apprentice Charles Brouns received 20 cents per hour.
