Rome, Farnese Square, Roccagiovine Palace
Date
Monday April 18th, 2016
DATA SHEET
DATING:
XVIII century
LOCATION:
Rome, Farnese Square
CUSTOMER:
Farnese Square Condominium 44
WORKS MANAGEMENT:
Arch. Paola Del Gallo
HIGH SURVEILLANCE:
Superintendence for environmental and architectural heritage of Rome, arch. Constance Pierdominici
THE PROBLEM
The main big staircase of Roccagiovine Palace appeared highly detorieted, with whole portions of its stucco decoration in imminent danger of falling, whic was especially altered in the original model and in the colouring. The main problem to face in order to implement a good restoration was to identify the original surface finishes, to bring them back to light when well preserved and propose them, if necessary, both in the color range and in the material itself avoiding the application of new colors and mostly on acrylic basis.
THE METHOD
The work of removal of the superimposed painting and of plaster cleaning has proceeded in line with the consolidation and safety operations. Once identified on all bottoms the original color in a “pale blue color” or “colored air” as properly called and typically used in the eighteenth century in Rome, the work’s aim was to propose it again with the exclusive use of lime and pigment colors. All stucco parts, made with marble powder, have been unearthed and re-ntegrated with a mortar as close as possible to the original color and grain size, and – where necessary – combined with a lime dye adequately coated up to appear very similar to stucco and stone parts.
