Friday 3rd June 2011; Venice

Week 8 of 12 
Module 5: Conservation Interventions and Treatments; Criteria for Selection and Implementation 
The Study Tour: Venice


This morning we left Parma for Venice. We arrived around midday and met Paolo Pagnin, a stone conservator with Lithos Restauri (another of our predecessors having taken the ICCROM Stone Conservation Course in 1985). The main focus of today was our visit to the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Church of the Frari) where Paolo has been involved in many separate conservation projects. 


More details to follow...

The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari, Venice.

Rising damp issues on the outer walls of the 

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari.

Cleaning work carried out on a sculpted element of the external facade of 

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari with a small black patch having been left to show the soiling that was present prior to cleaning.

Inside the Basilica which is filled with many individual but large-scale stone tombs each in a different state of condition in terms of deterioration and conservation.

An element of one of the tombs inside the Basilica which is currently being monitored due to the deterioration that is occurring.

An example of a recently done steel clamp fixed with lead in one of the 409 Venetian bridges.

We visited the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli which is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. It has many issues with moisture damage due to its position directly beside a canal. Inside it is possible to see the difference in damage between the canal side and other side of the chapel. On the facade of the church there is a sculpture above the doorway which was fully immersed in epoxy resin for consolidation but it is expected that the sculpture will turn more and more yellow over time due to the alteration of the epoxy.

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli with one foot in a canal.

The sculpture above the door of the 

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli 

which has been fully consolidated using epoxy resin.

We continued to wander around Venice and paused at the Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa where we observed the results of some cleaning trials that had been carried out.

Paolo showing us a sculptural element on the Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa which has been quartered and three of the segments treated using different cleaning methods. 12-3 = original patina, 3-6 = biological poultice, 6-9 = ammonium carbonate, 9-12 = unknown.