25mc12-TE-2014_Turin, Galleria Sabauda, A. Magnasco, Journey of the Friars, inv. 127

Facilitated description:

 

The journey of the friars is a painting. 
The painting depicts some friars crossing a country landscape. 
The painter Alessandro Magnasco painted the painting in 1708. 
The painting is kept at the Galleria Sabauda in Turin. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2014. 
The restorers cleaned behind the painting to remove dust. 
They cleaned the front to remove the yellowed paint and some of the paintings from the old restoration. 
They have eliminated the plastering (layer of plaster and glue that serves to cover the lack of color) of the old restoration because they were not well preserved.
They made new groutings and painted the groutings with watercolors and paints. 
They put a product to protect the painting from the sun's rays and dust. 
The restorers cleaned the frame and put a product against wood-eating insects. 
In the end, they filled the wooden gaps of the frame with grouting. 
They gilded the grouting and put a varnish to protect the frame from the sun's rays and dust. 

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

Restoration

The intervention began with the removal of the deposits of incoherent atmospheric particulate matter present on the reverse side of the work by means of micro-aspiration. On the front of the painting, on the other hand, surface dirt and repainting have been removed and the layer of yellowed paint has been thinned. On the front, the pictorial shots made with veils as they integrated an already degraded situation. Subsequently, consolidant injections were carried out on the edges of the gaps and the old overflowing grouts were replaced with new grouts. The pictorial reintegration of the gaps was performed with undertone watercolor bases and tuned with paint colors. Finally, the pictorial surface was protected with a paint film. 
The frame has been treated with anti-moth product and cleaned of atmospheric residues. Fixings of adhesion defects and grouting were then integrated with Armenian bolus and gold leaf (for the deepest gaps) and with shell gold (for small abrasions). Finally, the support was coated with a film of adhesive Teflon to prevent abrasion of the painting surface.