7mc04-AL-2017_Nichelino, Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, G. M. Bonzanigo, 12 Stools, inv. 1123, 1124, 1125, 1126, 1127, 1128, 1129, 1130, 1131, 1132, 1133, 1134

Facilitated description: 
 

The 12 stools are made of gilded wood and fabric.  
Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo made the stools in 1787. 
The stools are kept in the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi, in the antechamber of the Queen's apartment.
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the stools in 2017.
The restorers cleaned the stools of dust and substances that covered the color of the wooden structure. 
They filled the wooden gaps with stucco (plaster and glue).
They filled the lacks of gilding with watercolor colors. 
They rebuilt some parts of missing wood.
In the end they painted the stools to protect them from the sun's rays and dust. 

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

The restoration work on the chairs of the Anticamera della Regina of the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi focused mainly on the thorough cleaning of the surfaces. The lower part of the artifacts showed a consistent sediment of pigmented waxes that was chemically removed. The golden surface has been treated with a neutral fat emulsion and a simultaneous mechanical action with soft bristle brushes.
The most striking gaps were plastered with a mixture of plaster and animal glue, then connected to the tone of the color by means of watercolor veils. The stains of the pictorial layer have been lowered through watercolor pencils with a soft mine. The golden leaf, taking into account the good state of conservation, has been the subject of minimal plastering and retouching of abrasions with watercolor colors. In order to integrate the missing carving elements, silicone rubbers and two-component resins were used. Finally, a protective varnish was applied to all surfaces.