9-TE-2006_Venaria, Reggia, F. Trevisani, The Immaculate Conception with Saint Louis IX of France and Blessed Amedeo di Savoia (property of the Piedmont region)

Description faciltata:

 

The Immaculate Conception with Saint Louis IX of France and Blessed Amadeus of Savoy is a painting on canvas made by Francesco Trevisani in 1724.
The painting depicts the Madonna at the top and Louis IX and Amadeus of Savoy in royal robes.
The painting is kept at the Reggia di Venaria, in the chapel of St. Hubert.
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2006 for the reopening of the Reggia di Venaria.
The restorers cleaned up behind the painting.
Then they repositioned the canvas on the frame (wooden structure that serves to support the painting).
They have eliminate all the folds of the canvas.
They cleaned the painting to remove dust, yellowed paint and restoration work from the past.
Scientists at the Center did scientific analysis and found that the artist at the beginning of the work had painted some parts differently.
They reinforced the raised paint parts.
They filled the color gaps with a stucco base (plaster and glue layer) and watercolor colors.
In the end they painted the work to protect it from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

The canvas The Immaculate Conception with Saint Louis IX of France and Blessed Amadeus of Savoy by Francesco Trevisani was restored on the occasion of the reopening of the Reggia di Venaria and the exhibition in its original location in the chapel of Sant'Uberto (right altar of the transept) together with the other three works that adorned the altars of this environment. The altarpiece, affected by several movements during its conservative history, has come to the Royal Palace from the Aula Magna of the Palazzo dell'Università di Torino, where it was preserved from 1964 to 2006.

 

Restoration

The restoration work began with the cleaning of the frame and the back of the canvas to remove surface dirt. Subsequently, with a wooden wedge, the course of the dowel was perfected and the canvas was re-tensioned. 
A cleaning was carried out on the pictorial film to eliminate greasy powders, carbon deposits, oxidized varnish, repainting interventions and grouting no longer suitable. After the cleaning and thanks to the help of multispectral investigations, numerous rethinkings emerged in the composition by the artist (immaculate right hand, drapery, hand of St. Louis, profile of Blessed Amedeo). Subsequently, the consolidation of the raising of pictorial film and the areas affected by an accentuated phenomenon of craquelure (upper part of the painting) was carried out. The painting of the work followed. The color and preparation gaps were supplemented with grouting, performed in imitation of surface and chromatically supplemented with watercolor colors. Finally, a final protective varnish was applied. 

 

Bibliography

- Restoration of the altars of the church of Sant'Uberto alla Venaria Reale, edited by C. E. Spantigati, Florence, Nardini, 2007;
- F. Grana, Sheets 18.2, in The Royal Palace of Venaria Reale and the Savoy. Art, magnificence and history of a European court, edited by E. Castelnuovo, catalogue of the exhibition (Reggia di Venaria, 12 October 2007 - 30 March 2008), pp. 288-289.