21mc010-TA-2008_Turin, Galleria Sabauda, Still life with figs, inv. 673, cat. 285

Facilitated description: 

 

Still life with figs is a painting on wooden table. 
The painting represents a table with a plate of figs, bread, flowers and a jug.
The painting was made in 1740-1750. 
The painting is kept at the Galleria Sabauda in Turin.
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2008. 
The restorers cleaned the painting from the yellowed paint and paintings from the previous restoration. 
They filled the color gaps with putty (plaster and glue layer). 
Then they colored the stucco with watercolors. 
They painted the painting to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 
Then they cleaned the frame of the dust. 
They filled the wooden gaps with stucco (plaster and glue layer). They've gilded the putty. 
In the end they painted the frame to protect it from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

The remarkable stability of the wood of the support and the good state of conservation have allowed to limit the restoration operations to the pictorial layers. Following the results of the multispectral investigations, it was decided to correct the inhomogeneity of the altered protective film, removing the protective layer and retouching with a solvent mixture. The pictorial reintegration was limited to the finishing and veiling of the abrasions present. The gaps were then compensated with plaster and glue, chromatically tuned with watercolor colors and finished with paint colors. Subsequently the protective film was spread first by brush and then by spray in order to saturate some aridity still evident on the pictorial film. Spray paint has been applied to protect this layer, the pictorial reintegrations carried out on the work and the original material.

 

Frame
The work on the frame began by cleaning the pictorial film with a solvent mixture until it became slightly thinner. The re-adhesions were carried out in parallel with the cleaning with acrylic-based adhesive. In addition, it was necessary to ensure the assembly of the modules with vinyl glue by carpenter. Subsequently, we proceeded with the plastering (glue plaster given as a spatula) of the areas characterized by drops of preparation and pictorial film, then leveled, finished and intoned with watercolor. Finally, the protective layer maintained on the surface of the frame was polished, a protective film was spread and some retouching was carried out.

 

Bibliography

S. Piretta, Sheet 7.6 in De Van Dyck in Bellotto. Splendeurs à la cour de Savoie, C. E. Spantigati, P. Astrua, A. M. Bava, S. Damiano, Turin, Allemandi, 2009, p. 181.