48-AL-2011_Venaria, Reggia, P. Piffetti, Mirror, inv. 1448-L (ownership of the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica di Torino- Palazzo Madama)

Facilitated description: 

 

The frame of the mirror is made of wood and ivory decorations (material that is obtained from the tusks of elephants).
Pietro Piffetti made the mirror in the mid-1700s.
The mirror is kept at the Reggia di Venaria.
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the work in 2011.
The restorers have placed the mirror in an anoxic chamber, a chamber without oxygen that serves to eliminate insects that feed on wood.
They cleaned the mirror of the dust.
They glued the detached parts and the ivory tiles.
In the end, they spread a protective substance to protect the mirror from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

Piffetti's mirror is owned by the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica (Palazzo Madama) in Turin. The work has been granted on loan to the Reggia di Venaria for the exhibition in the permanent visit route.

Restoration

The work was initially disinfected in an anoxic chamber for a period of three weeks. Subsequently, the superficial atmospheric deposits were removed by micro-aspiration and the fragments were glued with two-component epoxy glue. The tarsia tiles were then consolidated, which had lifts from the support with injections of animal bone glue. A protective film has been applied to the entire inlaid surface and to the metal parts.