22-TE-2010_Venaria Reale, Reggia, G. Duprà (attr.), Portrait of Vittorio Amedeo III, inv. R 5753 (ownership of Racconigi Castle)

Facilitated description:

 

The portrait of Vittorio Amedeo III (third) is a painting on canvas. 
The painter Giuseppe Duprà painted the painting during the 1700s. 
The painting is kept at the Reggia di Venaria. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the painting in 2010.
The restorers have dismantled the painting from the frame (wooden structure that stands behind the painting and serves to support the painting). 
They cleaned up behind the painting.
They lined the painting (mounted a reinforcement canvas behind the painting). 
They have eliminated the folds of the canvas. 
They mounted the canvas on the frame. 
After the restorers cleaned the front part of the painting.
They replaced the old grouting (plaster and glue layer that serves to fill the color gaps). 
They painted the grouts.
The restorers painted the painting to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 
In the end they cleaned and reinforced the frame. 
They painted the frame to protect it from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

The painting, owned by the Castello di Racconigi (Residenze Royali Sabaude - Regional Directorate of Piedmont National Museums), was granted to the Reggia di Venaria to be exhibited in the permanent visit path.

Restoration

The restoration began with the velinatura to proceed safely with the operations of disassembly of the support structure and removal of the auxiliary textile support. After the suction of the surface deposits of the verso, the auxiliary canvas was dismantled and the adhesive residues were removed by scalpel. Subsequently, the consolidation of the preparatory and pictorial layers and the lining in the diner was carried out (vacuum operation to ensure a homogeneous and constant pressure over the entire surface). The painting was then re-tensioned on its frame.
The paint surface has been cleaned by removing the altered paint and recent retouching. The oldest retouches and repainting of the blue bow area have been maintained to avoid compromising the conitnuity of the pictorial decoration. Compensation for deficiencies was made only in the presence of grouting that was no longer suitable. A layer of paint was then applied to increase the effectiveness of consolidation and saturate the pictorial film. The chromatic integration was performed with watercolor colors for grouting and with paint colors for the oldest renovations and abrasions. Finally, a final protective UV filter was applied to slow down the oxidation and chromatic alteration of the material. 
Ifine, a structural rehabilitation was carried out on the frame that provided for the revision of the assemblies and the compensation of the splits. Subsequently, the adhesion defects were resolved with the application of consolidating agent and the surface was cleaned. The plastering of the gaps and the chromatic integration with watercolor and gold shell colors followed.