61-AL-2017_Turin, Church of S. Filippo Neri, P. Piffetti, Paliotto

Facilitated description:

 

The paliotto is a large decoration built to decorate the altar of the church of San Filippo Neri in Turin.
The artist Pietro Piffetti made the paliotto in 1749 with different materials: wood, ivory (material taken from elephant tusks), turtle shell, mother-of-pearl, precious stones.
In the central part of the paliotto is represented St. Philip. In the lateral parts of the frontal are represented Moses (right) and St. Gregory the Great (left).
The La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Centre restored the paliotto in 2017-2018 on the occasion of a project financed by Compagnia di San Paolo.
First the restorers covered the parts of the work that were coming off with a special paper called Japanese paper.
Then they transported the pole to the laboratories of Venaria and here they did the scientific analysis to understand with which materials the pole is built.
The restorers placed the pole in an anoxic chamber, an oxygen-free container that serves to eliminate wood-eating insects.
They cleaned the frontal and added the missing parts with woods similar to those used by the artist.
They put a subtle state of color behind the pieces added during the restoration. In this way they can be recognized with respect to the original pieces.
The restorers painted the groutings (plaster and glue used to cover the wood shortages) with watercolors.
In the end, they painted the pole to protect it from the sun's rays and dust.

 

 

 

 

Abstract of the intervention:

 

The Piffetti paliotto of the church of San Filippo Neri in Turin has been restored by the workshop of wooden artifacts following a proven methodology of study and comparisons, gained during the many activities on the Piedmontese cabinetmaking works. The project is part of the Intesa San Paolo initiative "Restitutions. Restored art treasures 2018’, aimed at identifying Italian works in precarious conservation conditions and supporting their return and enhancement through an exhibition. For the 18th edition of the initiative, the exhibition was held at the Reggia di Venaria (Venaria Palace).The fragility of beauty. Titian, Van Dyck, Twombly and 200 other restored masterpieces, 28 March - 16 September 2018).

Restoration

Before transport, the work (consisting of countermensa, 2 side wings, canopy, cross, base of the cross and countertabernacle) was secured with Japanese paper velinatura to avoid the detachment of the decoese parts. The intervention began with an in-depth diagnostic campaign (infrared, false color, digital radiography, UV analysis) that allowed to know the executive technique and to identify the woody materials and species. The pole was then subjected to an anoxic treatment, followed by a differentiated cleaning according to the types of material and the consolidation of the lifts. The additions of inlays were made with materials similar to those originally used by Piffetti and were made recognizable by the insertion of a thin layer of pigment able to confer different radiopacity. The minor slits and gaps were filled with a wax-based pigmented stucco and chromatically intoned with watercolors and bovine gall. Finally, a final protective was laid out. 
In 2020, the work was the subject of a further maintenance intervention (commission 74-AL-2020) before being relocated to the church of San Filippo Neri in Turin. 

 

Bibliography

- Sheet No 70, in Returns 2018. Restored art treasures. The Fragility of Beauty. Titian, Van Dyck and Twombly and 200 other restored masterpieces, exhibition catalogue, Reggia di venaria 28 March-16 September 2018, Marsilio Editori, Venice 2018, pp. 244-247 (online pp. 659-668);
- AAVV, Diagnostic study and application of innovative conservation methods for the restoration of the paliotto di San Filippo Neri by Pietro Piffetti, Proceedings of the 16th IGIIC National Congress, Lo Stato delll'Arte 16, Castello del Buonconsiglio Trento, 25-27 October 2018; 
- AAVV, The restoration of the furnishings: a critical approach between historical research, technical analysis and scientific investigations, in Genius and mastery. Furniture and cabinetmakers at the Savoy court between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Turin, Allemandi, 2018, pp. 183-193.