21mc031-TA-2008_Turin, Galleria Sabauda, F. Francken II, P. V. de Vries, Dance party in a Flemish hall, inv. 309, cat. 205

Facilitated description: 

 

Dance party in a Flemish hall is a painting made by the painters Francken and De Vries during the 1600s. 
The painting is kept at the Galleria Sabauda in Turin. 
The La Venaria Relae Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2008. 
The restorers cleaned the back of the painting. 
They removed the dust from the painted part. 
They eliminated the yellowed paint and paintings from the old restoration.
They filled the color gaps with putty (plaster and glue layer). 
They painted the putty.  
Then they cleaned the frame. 
They glued the detached wooden parts. 
They did the gilding in the missing parts. 
In the end they painted the frame and the painting to protect them from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

After assessing the good state of conservation of the wooden structure with the head of the wooden furniture workshop, it was decided with the Directorate of Works not to carry out any intervention. It has therefore intervened only with a thorough cleaning, removing the deposits of atmospheric particles with particular attention in the vicinity of the crossing joints. On the pictorial film, after the solubility tests, the cleaning with fat emulsion was carried out to remove the dirt layer of the now yellowed surface protective layer. Subsequently, the pictorial interventions of the previous restoration were treated, removing the unsuitable additions with solvents and with mechanical action in the most resistant parts in the ceiling area. The plastering was performed with plaster of Bologna and glue on the gaps and in correspondence of the old plastering removed because not suitable. The plastering was imitated by repeating the irregular pattern. It was then applied a tone of color on all grouting before painting with a brush. The chromatic integration was carried out with paint colours for restoration, re-proposing the original tone to camouflage the new drafts. In heavily abraded areas such as the ceiling, the intervention was carried out point by point without encroaching on the original. Finally, a protective paint was sprayed.

 

Frame
After a surface cleaning, a second solvent cleaning was carried out. Subsequently, the parts of the lifts, disconnections and cracks were consolidated with natural adhesives. On the parts without gilding was given a preparation draft, while the plastering was supplemented some with watercolors and others with gilding. Finally, a coating and a final protective coating were carried out.  

 

Bibliography

C. E. Spantigati, Sheet 5.7 in De Van Dyck in Bellotto. Splendeurs à la cour de Savoie, C. E. Spantigati, P. Astrua, A. M. Bava, S. Damiano, Torino, Allemandi, 2009, pp. 154-155.