15-AL-2006_Nichelino, Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, Mirror, inv. 2957

Facilitated description: 

 

The mirror is a work of gilded wood and glass made at the end of 1700. 
The mirror is kept at the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi, in Cabinet 10. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the mirror in 2006. 
The restorers have inserted the mirror in the anoxic chamber (room without oxygen that serves to eliminate insects that feed on wood). 
They carried out a cleaning (cleaning the surface of the dirt deposited over time) with chemicals and a laser instrument.
The mirror had gaps (missing parts) of wood and gilding.
The restorers stuccoed the gaps (they themselves have a white layer of plaster and glue inside the lacks of gilding). 
They painted the plasters with watercolor colors.  
They rebuilt 2 curls with wood of similar quality. 
In the end they painted the wooden curls.

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

The intervention is part of the first lot of restoration of the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi relating to the Levante Apartment. The project involved the furniture and furnishings of Lounge 8, Chinese Rooms 14-15 and Cabinet 10. The restorations were included in the interventions financed by the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities with the proceeds derived from the lottery.

 

Restoration

The restoration of the mirror has provided for the cleaning of the gilding from purple with laser technology. Subsequently, the residues were removed by chemical cleaning. 
The gaps of the pictorial film were grouted and reintegrated with color selection with watercolor colors. Subsequently, a light film of restoration paint was sprayed as final protection.
At the level of the wooden support, a disinfestation treatment was carried out in the anoxic chamber and then with an anti-theft product. The decoded decorative elements were then glued. During the restoration it was not considered appropriate to reconstruct all the missing elements, but only the two side curls. The two additions were glued, pinstriped and reintegrated chromatically in imitation of gold.