15-TE-2009_Venaria Reale, Royal Palace, Portrait of Margaret of Valois, inv. R 5530 (ownership of Racconigi Castle)

Facilitated description:

 

The Portrait of Margaret of Valois is a painting on canvas made during the 1600s.
The painting is kept at the Reggia di Venaria. 
The painting is owned by the Castle of Racconigi. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2009. 
The restorers cleaned the painting in front and behind to remove dust.
On the front of the painting they made a treatment of the frame (wooden structure that stands behind the painting and serves to support the painting) to eliminate insects that eat the wood. 
They eliminated the yellowed paint and some paintings from the old restorations. 
They stopped the parts of color that were peeling off. 
They repaired the tears by inserting pieces of canvas.
They filled the color gaps with a layer of putty (plaster and glue). 
The restorers painted the painting to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 
In the end, the frame was cleaned. 
They filled the wooden gaps with stucco. 
They painted the frame to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

The portrait of Margherita di Valois, owned by the Castle of Racconigi (Residenze Royali Sabaude - Regional Directorate of Piedmont National Museums), was granted for exhibition in the permanent tour of the Reggia di Venaria.

Restoration

The intervention began with the removal of atmospheric deposits on the front through the use of micro-aspirators. The operations on the reverse are followed: disinfestation, cleaning of textile support.
At the level of the pictorial film, a chemical cleaning was carried out to eliminate the oxidized protective and the repaintings (the oldest repaintings on the drapery of the tent were lightened and not completely eliminated). The consolidation of the raised pictorial film flakes was performed with a localized and thermocautery velinatura. Subsequently, the small tears were compensated with insertions of canvas and the plastering was carried out.
The pictorial reintegration work was carried out with varnish glazing. Finally, a layer of protective paint was applied to the surface. 
Consolidation and cleaning of dust deposits and altered protective material were carried out on the frame. The gaps in preparation were compensated with plaster and glue grouting and integrated pictorially. Finally, a paint was sprayed.