Galleria dell'Accademia Florence: restoration of Raffaellino del Garbo's Resurrection begun

The restoration of Raffaellino Del Garbo ’s large panel painting in the Accademia Gallery in Florence depicting the Resurrection has begun.

“The big construction site in the Hall of Colossus began more than a month ago,” said Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Florentine museum. "Almost all of the works, excluding the removable ones, have been moved to the rooms dedicated to temporary exhibitions, subjected to an assessment of their state of conservation, and we are working on a restoration plan. Today we begin with the Resurrection, a splendid panel by Raffaellino del Garbo from the early 16th century, which with its monumental wooden frame has been transported to the restoration laboratories that will take care of this painting in all its complexity."

The work by Raffaellino Dei Carli, known as Raffaellino Del Garbo (S. Lorenzo a Vigliano, 1466 - Florence, c. 1525), was originally made for the Capponi family chapel in the church of San Bartolomeo in Monteoliveto, between 1500 and 1505. It recalls, in the setting of the scene, the compositions of Domenico Ghirlandaio. Raphael, in his graceful and delicate but sometimes bizarre and contorted features, as in the poses of the soldiers in this painting, reflects the influence of Verrocchio and Lippi. The explicit references to the latter denote Raphael’s ability to keep abreast of the art of his time and to combine his multiple sources of inspiration with great narrative and expressive results. The profound meaning of the sacred theme is made familiar through the choice of setting: a view of the city of Florence is clearly recognizable in the background, characterized by the Arno River and its main monuments, such as the tower of Palazzo Vecchio.

Thanks to an articulated non-invasive multi-technical diagnostic campaign that will integrate photographic imaging and analytical methodologies, useful information will be obtained for the restoration work. The diagnostic project, in addition to normal documentation, will offer a detailed view of the painting to understand the materials and execution technique.

“This intervention will involve both the wooden support and the pictorial layers and will be conducted in stages,” explains Eleonora Pucci, head of the Gallery’s restoration office. “The complex set of operations that will affect the pictorial layers will proceed from a cleaning performed after the appropriate tests to identify the methodology to be used and the most correct level to be achieved, to the plastering with integration of the pictorial parts, before arriving at the final protection.”

Major work will also be done on the wooden tabernacle frame that completes and enhances the work by Raffaellino del Garbo. The 16th-century style carved and gilded frame, which can be separated into several distinct parts, will be the subject of a diagnostic investigation campaign prior to restoration. Delicate stopping and consolidation operations will then be carried out, differentiated according to fragile and unstable situations, selective cleaning, plastering and integration of the gaps, and final protection.

Galleria dell'Accademia Florence: restoration of Raffaellino del Garbo's Resurrection begun

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