21mc037-TE-2008_Turin, Galleria Sabauda, G. Nogari, Head of character, inv. 428, cat. 600

Facilitated description: 

 

Head of Character is a painting by Giuseppe Nogari made in 1740-1742. 
The painting depicts the bust of a young woman.
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 frame (wooden structure that stands behind the painting and serves to support the painting). 
They cleaned the painting of dust with chemicals. 
They have arranged the paintings of the old restoration. 
They painted the painting to protect it from the sun's rays and dust.
They cleaned the frame from the dust and gilding of the old restoration.
They glued the raised wooden parts. 
They filled the small wooden gaps with stucco (plaster and glue layer). 
In the end they did gilding with gold leaf in the parts with the largest gilding deficiencies. In areas where the lack of gilding was smaller they used watercolors. 

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

Restoration

The restoration began with a cleaning of the verse and the frame of the painting with soft bristle brushes and vacuum cleaner. The paint surface was then subjected to surface cleaning based on surfactant to remove dust accumulated over the paint. Subsequently, the previous reintegrations were readapted to restore the colour balance of the composition. Finally, a final varnish sprayed with the airbrush was applied.

 

Frame
Once cleaning tests were carried out on the gilding, dirt deposits and old reintegrations were removed. A consolidation was then carried out at all the falls and lifts and the gaps were grouted with plaster and animal glue. The larger abrasions and gaps were replenished with gold leaf, while for the smaller ones watercolors and tempera were used for the outer edge.

 

Bibliography

S. Villano, Sheet 9.13 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. 214-215.