This laboratory specialises in a wide range of objects and artefacts from very different epochs and contexts. It works on materials from archaeological digs, sometimes taking part in the excavations themselves, on antique and modern decorative art, furnishings and other artefacts, including contemporary design items. It also has considerable experience in the field of historic stained glass.
The monitoring and maintenance projects, like those for the Royal Armoury of Turin and National Museum of Cinema, are conducted both at the laboratory and on-site at the museums.
The Centre’s involvement in numerous works on the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in Piedmont has given it considerable experience in the regeneration of historic artefacts. The laboratory has also developed a specific procedure to tackle critical aspects of the conservation of outdoor contemporary art works.
Il Centro ha collaborato con il MUDEC di Milano con un intervento di manutenzione straordinaria su una serie di manufatti etnografici appartenenti alla collezione museale, in vista del nuovo allestimento espositivo del Museo delle Culture.
Il progetto di intervento è stato multidisciplinare e ha visto il coinvolgimento dei laboratori di Arredi lignei, Manufatti tessili, Metalli, Cermica, Vetro e dei Laboratori scientifici del Centro.
La descrizione di alcuni degli interventi sono consultabili qui
Working on the Palm, originally a fountain, involved a phase of attentive study and analysis to get a deeper understanding of the complex techniques used in its manufacture, the materials used, what had been done to preserve it and its actual state of conservation. The operations began with the delicate process of dismantling the work which, after being freed from is concrete base (a later addition), was transported to the laboratories. The Palm was then subjected to an extremely analytical documentation process and, following that, underwent surface cleaning to remove copper corrosion, previous protective coatings and other surface deposits.
The work was made possible thanks to the support of the Milan Aquileia Rotary Club.
The first few pages of the publication are available here
The work on ten of the fourteen stained glass windows making up the figurative cycle of the Baptistery in Pisa kept the laboratory’s staff busy for more than a year. Studies on the windows revealed different techniques, relating to the various authors, as well as numerous earlier restorations, dated between the late 19th and mid-20th century. The restoration, under the direction of the ISCR, produced detailed documentation of the various manufacturing techniques and the conservation history of the windows themselves. The major works involved surface cleaning and replacing of damaged or missing leadwork. Replacement of the missing elements was carried out applying methods and criteria to achieve a particular harmony with the existing windows.