 Series
of 48 bookcases in engraved wood & paintings |
Artists:
Mario
Cretoni
Date: 1854
Dimensions: 240
x 570 x 52 cm per unit; 194 x 67 x 5 cm per panel
Location:
Gallery
of Urban VIII
Materials: Wood,
tempera, gilt wood
These
bookshelves line the Gallery of Urban VII in the rooms formerly linked
to the Vatican Apostolic Library.
They were built under Pope Pius IX to hold the impressive papal
collections of books and manuscripts acquired from the mid-1600’s
until the mid-1800’s. The group contains 14 bookshelves which line
both sides of the gallery.
They are richly decorated with geometric and floral patterns,
while the central panels of each unit contains the coat of arms of Pope
Pius IX (1846-1878).
The lateral panels are painted with views of “modern” Rome
alternating with depictions of birds and inanimate objects (such as
books and writing instruments) surrounded by garlands of flowers.
The most important aspect of these shelves are the views of the
city which remain today a historic testimony of 19th century
Rome and its monuments.
STATE
OF PRESERVATION:
RESTORATION
PROCESS:
STRUCTURAL
INTERVENTION
-
Disassembling
of the doors and bookshelves
-
Carpentry
work on the internal drawers and panels
-
Re-stabilizing
the wooden structure
-
Disinfestation
of the entire structure
-
Remounting
of the doors
-
Verification
of the function of doors and locks
PICTORIAL
SURFACE INTERVENTION
-
Consolidation
of the pictorial surface
-
Removal
of unwanted deposits present on the pictorial surface
-
Affixing
and cleaning (using both chemical and mechanical means) of
detaching parts
-
Touching-up
of the pictorial and gilt surfaces
-
Application
of a final protective covering
-
Verification
of the function of doors and locks
Total Cost: $128,300.00
|
