Detached Fresco
This project involved the conservation of an 18th-century ecclesiastical portrait fresco originating from the cloister of the Church of Ognissanti, Florence. The work is tentatively attributed to Jacopo Ligozzi, a Florentine court painter known for his naturalistic detail and decorative imagery.
Treatment included surface cleaning and poultice cleaning to remove accumulated deposits, followed by an assessment of pigment stability across the painted surface. Areas of loss were reintegrated using reversible watercolours applied with the tratteggio technique — a method of fine parallel lines that allows intervention to be distinguished from the original while restoring visual continuity.
Conservation Methodology
The fresco was examined to map areas of paint loss, flaking, surface deposits, and deterioration of the secondary support, establishing a basis for treatment decisions.
Surface soiling and deposits were removed using carefully selected materials to avoid damage to the already fragile paint layer of the detached fresco.
Fragile and detaching paint areas were consolidated, and the support was stabilised to ensure the long-term structural integrity of the mounted fragment.
Full documentation of the condition assessment and treatment, including photographic records and material notes from each stage of the intervention.