17mc50-AL-2013_Nichelino, Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, P. Piffetti, Medals, inv. 2468

Facilitated description:
 

The medallion is a wooden piece of furniture used to store coins and medals. In the lower part it has drawers and at the top a wardrobe with mirror. 
Pietro Piffetti made the furniture in 1739. 
The medal is kept at the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the medal in 2013. 
The restorers placed the medal in an anoxic chamber, an oxygen-free chamber that serves to eliminate wood-eating insects.
They cleaned the cabinet and the mirror.
They used a vacuum cleaner to clean inside the cabinet and drawers. 
They repaired the broken leg with glue and pieces of wood.
They glued the detached wooden tiles.
They inserted wooden tiles into the ruined parts.
They colored the new wooden parts to imitate the decoration of the original ones.
In the end they put a product against insects that eat wood and a protective varnish.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

The Medal of Pietro Piffetti is kept at the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi (Apartment of the King, Bedroom). Before the restoration, the work underwent a diagnostic campaign to deepen the knowledge of materials and structure (ultraviolet fluorescence and digital radiography). Part of the diagnostic project was included in the thesis study on the use of X-ray computed axial tomography in the restoration of cultural heritage by Novella Coviello. 

The restoration of the work began with a disinfestation in the anoxic chamber for a period of three weeks. The uninlaid wooden parts were cleaned with ethanol, while a solution of water and alcohol was used for the mirror. The internal fabric and the compartments inside the drawers were mechanically cleaned with vacuum cleaners, the removal of atmospheric deposits was carried out over the entire surface with a solution of triammonium citrate to 3% in water and the most consistent sediments have been mechanically removed by scalpels.
The breaking of the leg was consolidated by joining the parts with vinyl glue and by inserting two pins in walnut wood. The raised inlay tiles were adhered to the support by means of animal bone glue, while the missing wooden tiles were integrated with the same wood essence.
The ivory tiles were attached to the support with animal bone glue and integrated chromatically with watercolor to imitate the engraving. On the back of all the integrated parts was itself a layer of bismuth to be able to make them radiopaque and detect them by means of multispectral analysis.
The missing internal drawer knobs were reconstructed using ivory (to make them recognizable) and applied to the support using screws.
The small gaps present on the ivory tarsia and on the wooden surface have been filled with putty composed of wax mixed with pigments.
The cracks in the lining were integrated with the same essence and anchored with animal bone glue. Finally, preventive disinfestation was carried out with an anti-tall solution and the final protective varnish was applied.

 

Bibliography

N. Coviello, X-ray Computed Axial Tomography: an imaging technique for the study of Cultural Heritage, thesis, School of Nature Sciences
Course of study in Sciences for Cultural Heritage, University of Turin, prof. A. Re, a.y. 2013-2014.