D11mc01_AL_2015_Biella, Palazzo La Marmora, Japanese lacquered pattern

Facilitated description: 

 

The stipo is a wooden furniture decorated with lacquer (a particular type of paint) resting on a table.
The pattern is black and golden. 
The model was made in the Japanese area during the 1700s. 
The model is kept at Palazzo La Marmora in Biella. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the model in 2015-2017. 
A restoration student has restored the stipo for her thesis (final exam).
Scientists at the Venaria Center did scientific analyses to study how the stylus was built and to understand what materials it is made of. 
The restorer has cleaned the stipo from dust and yellowed paint.
He stared at the decorating parts that were peeling off.
He fixed the parts of color on the table that were peeling off.
The restorer cleaned the metal parts and put a product in order not to ruin them. 
It filled the holes caused by insects eating wood with a product against these insects. 
He filled the wooden gaps with stucco (plaster and glue). 
He painted the stucco with small dashes to make the restoration recognizable. 
In the end he painted the stipo to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

Restoration

The restoration was part of a thesis project by Elena Viola. 
The preliminary diagnostic campaign was fundamental for the knowledge of the work, to determine the executive technique and direct the choices of the restoration. 
The intervention began with dry cleaning, followed by the removal of consistent deposits with aqueous medium. It was followed by the stoppage of the decorations and the pictorial film of the table with adhesive and the thinning of the surface paint with solvents in a thickened form. The metal parts were then cleaned without eliminating oxidation and a protective was applied to inhibit corrosion.
At the structural level, some stabilization of the table was necessary (fixing of the crossbar, integration of the molding gaps). 
On all the furniture the gaps have been grouted and retouching with watercolor hatching has been carried out. The flicker holes have been treated with anti-moth product. 
For the aesthetic return it was decided to reproduce with a panel the drawer No. 8 (missing due to a theft). Finally, after premiliminal tests for the choice of the most suitable product, the painting was carried out. 

 

Bibliography

E. Viola, From the original to the imitation: the study and restoration of an oriental style model of the La Marmora collection, (degree thesis), Prof. F Spagnoli, M. B. Failla, University of Turin, academic year 2016-2017.