D10mc02-AL-2012_Racconigi, Castello, G. Capello (Moncalvo), Colonna, inv. R6223

Facilitated description:

 

The column is a wooden work with inlay decorations (decorations made with different types of wood). 
Gabriele Capello called Moncalvo created the column in 1844-1847. 
The column is kept at the Castle of Racconigi in the Etruscan Cabinet. 
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the column in 2012. 
A restoration student restored the column for the thesis (final exam).
Scientists at the Venaria Center did scientific analysis to see the inside of the column. 
The restorer dismantled the lower part of the column. 
He cleaned the column of dust and glue remnants. 
He glued the detached wooden parts.
He put on the column a product against insects that eat wood. 
The restorer filled the small wood deficiencies with a wax-based substance. 
He painted larger wooden gaps with watercolors to make the color of the surface uniform. 
In the end he painted the column to protect it from the sun's rays and dust. 
 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention: 

 

The restoration was carried out as part of an educational project that involved the intervention on two inlaid wooden columns of the Etruscan Cabinet of the Castle of Racconigi. The work was carried out as a thesis project by Jonathan Schiavone. 
The restrauro was preceded by a diagnostic campaign, in particular the computed tomography allowed to visualize the internal structure, deciphering the constraint systems. In addition, ultraviolet and FT-IR (infrared) investigations have been indispensable for detecting surface substances and directing cleaning operations.

Restoration

The intervention involved the dismantling of the stem from the base. It was followed by cleaning from deposits of dust and surface dirt with brushes and micro-aspirator. The work was subjected to anti-moth treatment with a special product, taking care to carry out a localized intervention with punctual injections on the surfaces decorated with inlays. Metal elements, on the other hand, were treated with rust inhibitors.
Subsequently, the consolidations of the detached wooden frames with glue and pressure applications and the raised inlay parts were carried out. This operation required particular attention as the repositioning of the elements took place on a curved surface.
Subsequently, a surface cleaning was performed to eliminate consistent deposits, halos, gores and to maintain the protective film. 
Finally, the aesthetic integration operations were performed, performed with wax-based stucco for the small gaps of the inlay and with a tonal lowering to watercolors for the largest gaps. The paint gaps were supplemented with shellac retouching. 
Finally, a protective layer was applied to the entire surface. 

 

Bibliography

- J. Schiavone, From restoration to fruitive digitization: study of a wooden column coming from the Etruscan Cabinet of the Castle of Racconigi through the techniques of digital data acquisition and their reprocessing in a virtual environment, Master’s thesis in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, University of Turin, Prof. Claudia Lombardo, academic year 2012-2013; 
- F. Coccolo, J. Schiavone, C. Lombardo, C. Ricci, M. Martini, The tomographic analysis performed on two wooden columns from the Etruscan Cabinet of the Castle of Racconigi: interpretation of tomographic data and design of a conservative restoration intervention, in Chronicles 4. The neu-ART project. Studies and applications. Neutron and X-ray tomography and imaging for cultural heritage, edited by M. Nervo, Torino, Editris, 2013, pp. 106-112.