Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, restoration of Lavinia Fontana painting kicks off thanks to Opera tua

The restoration of theApparition of the Madonna and Child to the Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret, Agnes, Ursula and Barbara by Lavinia Fontana conserved at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna and selected as part of the “Opera tua” competition, the project of Coop Alleanza 3.0 in collaboration with Fondaco Italia and under the patronage of the Italian Touring Club dedicated to the enhancement of Italian cultural heritage now in its sixth edition, has begun.

Carlotta Scardovi’s SOS ART company has been entrusted with the restoration, which has already carried out preliminary assessments on the canvas within the Pinacoteca’s deposits; subsequently the work has been transported to the laboratory for the start of the intervention, which will last several months. The restoration will be preceded by adiagnostic investigation aimed at studying the materials and execution techniques, in order to define the best operational approach. The intervention will include the removal of incongruous materials and atmospheric pollutants, cleaning of the pictorial film with selective removal of oxidized varnishes, filling of pictorial micro-falls, pictorial retouching, and final protective varnishing. In addition, the canvas support slat will be disassembled and replaced with a new frame.

Once the restoration is complete, the work will be displayed in the rooms of the Pinacoteca, after having been kept in storage for several years due to suboptimal conservation conditions.

Around the work, activities will be organized for further study and enhancement.

TheApparition of the Madonna and Child to Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret, Agnes, Ursula and Barbara (1601) by Lavinia Fontana (Bologna, 1552 - Rome, 1614) is a precious painting from the Bologna monastery of San Michele in Bosco. It depicts the apparition of the Virgin to the saints Catherine of Alexandria in the center, Barbara and Ursula on the left, and Margaret and Agnes on the right, all recognizable by their respective iconographic attributes. The signature and date 1601, both placed below the figure of Saint Barbara, confirm that this is awork of Lavinia’sartistic maturity, an admirable fusion of the most significant contributions of late 16th-century artistic culture. The colors of neo-Venetian ancestry blend with the supple movements and elongated physiognomies of the elegant mannerism of Parma, with the memory of Raphael’s Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna, to which the composition refers, and finally with the most up-to-date innovations of the Carracci visible in the optical naturalism of the jewels, the light fabrics, and the dragon accompanying Margaret.

Pictured is the handling of Lavinia Fontana’s work for restoration.

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, restoration of Lavinia Fontana painting kicks off thanks to Opera tua

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