21mc013-TA-2008_Turin, Galleria Sabauda, G. Wals, River landscape, inv. 654, cat. 761a

Facilitated description: 

 

River landscape is a painting on canvas.
The painter Gottfried Wals made the painting in the early 1600s.
The painting is kept at the Galleria Sabauda in Turin.
The restorers of the La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2008.
The restorers cleaned behind the painting to eliminate the parts ruined by contact with the air.
They removed the paintings from the previous restoration.
They painted the color gaps with paint.
They painted the painting to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 
Then they worked on the frame.
They attacked the parts that were coming off. 
They put on the frame a product against insects that eat wood. 
They reconstructed the missing corners of the frame. 
They put in a protective substance.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

The restoration began with an intervention on the back of the support with a mechanical and chemical treatment of the oxidation patinas. On the pictorial surface was applied with pads a solvent for the removal of touch-ups. The retouching that reconstructed the shape of the tree’s frond, in the centre of the composition, has been removed, since overflowing with respect to the gap, it concealed small traces of the original colour. This cleaning operation has allowed us to find clues on the original shape, useful for the reconstruction of the frond. A first painting was then applied with a brush and then the pictorial integration with paint colours and the final painting were carried out.

 

Frame
On the frame a consolidation of the raised scales was carried out, then it was possible to proceed with the disinfestation from the xylophagous insects through permethrin injections. Cleaning was performed with mixtures of acetone and ligroin in various concentrations. The gaps were compensated with plaster stucco from Bologna and lapin glue. In addition, for comparison with photographic documentation of some frames with similar decorations it was possible to carry out tests of reconstruction of the missing corners with casts, then gilded with the gouache technique. The plasterings were chromatically tuned with watercolor colors. Finally, a mechanical cleaning of the iron attachments was carried out and an oil protection was applied.

 

Bibliography 

- S. Villano, Sheet 8.1 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. 190.