19-AL-2014_Santena, Castello Cavour, P. Piffetti, Coffee table, inv. I/50

Facilitated description:
 

The inlaid coffee table is a wooden furniture with ivory decorations (material that is taken from the tusks of elephants). 
Pietro Piffetti made the coffee table in 1739. 
The coffee table is kept at the Castello Cavour in Santena. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the coffee table in 2014. 
The restorers have placed the coffee table in the anoxic chamber, a chamber without oxygen that serves to eliminate insects that eat wood. 
Then, they glued the pieces of ivory that were peeling off.
They cleaned the coffee table of dust. They removed the layer of yellowed protective paint from the ivory parts.
They fixed the detached coffee table leg. 
They filled the wooden gaps with similar material.
They put a protection on the coffee table against the sun's rays and dust.
In the end they cleaned the golden parts and colored the lacks of gilding with watercolors.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

Restoration

The intervention on the coffee table is part of the restoration of the furnishings of the Castle of Santena on the occasion of the refurbishment of the entire residence.
The restoration began with the disinfestation in anoxic chamber and the drafting of anti-moth for preventive purposes. 
This was followed by the consolidation of the tiles affected by detachments. For larger detachments, cleaning was carried out first and then gluing with adhesive and pressure with springs and clamps. 
Subsequently, the surface of the coffee table was cleaned mechanically and chemically. In this phase, the selective removal of the altered protective material present on the ivory inlays was also carried out. The altered patina has also been removed from the metal nozzle of the drawer. 
On a structural level, the leg that was already detached, was repositioned correctly, eliminating the strong misalignment with respect to the other three legs. Where necessary, they intervened with grouting.
In agreement with the works management, it was decided to integrate the gaps on the inlay with materials equivalent to the original ones. The recognition of the intervention was guaranteed by the application of bismuth on the back of the new additions. The compensatory cards were then chromatically supplemented with watercolour colours in imitation of the engraving. A protective microcrystalline wax was then spread over the entire wooden surface. 
Finally, at the level of the golden decorations, a cleaning was carried out that highlighted the numerous shortcomings. The integration was performed in a localized way with watercolor colors.