Konserwacja tapiserii w świetle włoskiej teorii konserwacji

Italy has two big centres of the conservation of monuments, i.e. Istituto Centrale Del Restauro in Rome and Opficio Delle Pietre Dure E Laboratori Del Restauro in Florence. In the seventies the Atelier for the Conservation of Tapestries was attached to Florence's Opficio. Teachers in the Atelier are the persons trained in this profession by former workers of the biggest conservation workshop, owned by Salvadori Giuseppe, existing from 1923 and employing several dozen workers. In 1983 the Atelier undertook the preservation of 9 arrases from Palazzo Veccio in Florence from the series depicting the story of Joseph, ordered by Cosimo de Medici in 1546. The authors of the cartoons were Agnola di Cosimo Torri (16 cartoons), Jacopo Carruci (3). Francesco de Rossi (1). It was done by Flemish workers. The series consists of 20 pieces. Their total area is 420 sq. m. 10 of them are at present in Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, the remaining ones are in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The latter ones were hanging incessantly for 111 years until their removal in 1983. Special safe techniques of taking arrases from walls, their transportation and storage in the building of Opificio were worked out. To wash the arrases a special folding bath-tub was designed with a perforated steel plate on its bottom. A rolled-up arras on the roller was gradually unfolded, soaked, tamponed and reeled on the second roller placed at the other end of the bath-tub. A solution of soap- -wort in determinalized water was used for washing. Larger missing parts are made up on tables with movable tops. New threads of the weft are laid vertically, contrary to the way used on a loom. This is not a typical method, originating from the 19th-century traditions of Florentine conservators. Only very small missing parts are done on a loom. The Florentine workshop advocates a technique of through conservation (metodo integrativo) assuming that reconstruction of 2 basic elements: the warp and the weft is the best method of integrating the fabric. After taking from the loom arrases are lined with a linen cloth fastened with vertical stitches placed parallelly on the entire surface. Work on the conservation of the entire discussed series will be continued still for years. Following the progress of conservation work Polish convervators might take some advantage of Florentine experience.