40mc06-AL-2015_Venaria, Reggia, La Nobiltà (bassorelievo), inv. 778/L (ownership of the Civic Museum of Ancient Art of Turin - Palazzo Madama)

Facilitated description:

 

The bas-relief is a sculpture that rests on a background.
The bas-relief represents the Nobility.
The bas-relief was made in 1780.
The bas-relief is made of papier-mâché and is inside a golden frame.
The bas-relief is preserved at the Reggia di Venaria.
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the sculpture in 2015.
The restorers glued the raised parts and cleaned the surface from dust.
They decided not to remove the old restoration work on the golden parts of the frame.
They filled the missing color parts with a putty (plaster and glue layer).
They colored the putty with watercolors.
In the end they spread a product against insects that eat wood and a varnish to protect the sculpture from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

The bas-relief of the Nobility, coming from the warehouse of Palazzo Madama, has been the subject of an extraordinary maintenance intervention on the occasion of the insertion in the visit path of the Reggia di Venaria (grant on loan). The work, executed by a Piedmontese plasticizer on a model by Francesco Ladatte, is part of a series of 6 bas-reliefs with allegorical figures. 

Intervention

The product was in a very poor state of conservation, in particular the frames had suffered heavily from changes in temperature and humidity. The intervention then began with the stoppages of the numerous decoese parts with consolidater after which, it was possible to proceed with the cleaning of the surface dry and with chemical solvents. At this stage, in agreement with the Works Management, it was decided not to remove the layer of natural resin on the smashed red granite and some purple additions on the outer surface of the frames. Subsequently, the papier-mâché applications on the frames were consolidated with adhesive and wooden support bands. The plastering and chromatic integration of the abraded parts and the altered touch-ups with watercolor colors and paints for the restoration were therefore carried out. To compensate the silver plate, two methods were followed: yellow micacea powder and hatch colour selection on smaller areas; silver leaf stretched out in gouache and paint colors to imitate the meccatura on the frame. Finally, an anti-moth solution was applied on the back, while protective varnish was applied on the front.