24-AL-2006_Nichelino, Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, P. Piffetti (attr.), Inginocchiatoio, inv. 6790

Facilitated description:

 

The kneeler is a wooden work formed by a low step to welcome people who kneel in prayer.
Pietro Piffetti made the kneeler in 1749 using different materials: wood, ivory (material obtained from elephant tusks), turtle shell, brass.
The kneeler is kept at the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi.
The Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale restored the kneeler in 2006-2007 after the discovery of the piece of furniture. The kneeler was stolen in 2004.
The restorers have inserted the kneeler in the anoxic chamber (room without oxygen that serves to eliminate insects that feed on wood).
They consolidated (made more stable) the damaged parts and glued the detached wooden cladding parts.
In the internal parts they have the same with the brush a product against xylophagous insects (insects that feed on wood).
The restorers carried out a cleaning (cleaning the surface from the dirt deposited over time) with specific products for each material.
In the end, they painted the kneeler to protect it from the sun and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

The restoration of the kneeler, attributed to Pietro Piffetti, was completed in 2007 under the supervision of Pinin Brambilla Barcilon. The intervention was carried out on the occasion of the discovery of the nucleus of works stolen from the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi in 2004. After the restoration, the work was relocated to the Palazzina.

 

The restoration

The work was subjected to anoxic disinfestation for a period of three weeks. Subsequently, consolidation was carried out with an acrylic resin of the areas most damaged by xylophagous insects.
Gluing of the broken and unstable parts was carried out with glue of animal origin. The interior of the cabinet was treated with permethrin to prevent new infestations. Differentiated surface cleaning was then carried out with techniques and products selected for each material: mixture of water, ethyl alcohol and acetone for ivories, synthetic saliva for turtle parts and laser technology for brass parts.
The raised slab parts were then glued and the missing inlay tiles with materials similar to the originals (ivory, turtle, brass) were inserted. The polychrome ivory engravings were reproduced with paint colors, after isolating the tiles with an aliphatic paint. A thin film of the same paint was applied to the outer surface.

 

Bibliography

- M. Nervo, T. Radelet, M. Ravera, The use of XRF and false color infrared for the study of turtle ivories and polychromes: the case of Stupinigi's kneeler, in "The restoration of wooden furnishings. The Piedmontese cabinet-making: studies and research", edited by C. E. Spantigati, S. De Blasi, Firenze, Nardini, 2011, pp. 108-116; 
- Sheet 6, in "The restoration of wooden furniture. The Piedmontese cabinet-making: studies and research", edited by C. E. Spantigati, S. De Blasi, Firenze, Nardini, 2011, pp. 117-121.