At the end of the corridor of European art, there sits a small room that at first glance seems out of place. The wall panels are painted a deep red with lacquer decorations that seem reminiscent of Chinese works of art. In fact, the opulent panels of the Gabinetto, or withdrawing room, come from 18th-century Italy. Here, artisans related to Pietro Massa's workshop in Turin used a process called "japanning" to imitate Chinese lacquer and record an imagined vision of life in the Far East.
Today, I had the opportunity to watch conservation scientist John Twilley and Senior Conservator Kate Garland in action as they worked on an ongoing survey of the Gabinetto. The survey, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, investigates the panels to see how they were originally constructed in the 1730s-1750s and what has been restored since then. Eventually, this survey will lead to conservation work to reveal the original appearance of the room.
Conservation is all about the details, and I was amazed by the way Kate and John uncovered tiny clues to the room's history. Because of the different ways paint has been manufactured over the last two centuries, they can tell that the green wood framing the panels has probably been repainted twice, the last time as late as the mid-20th century. The original paint was a transparent brown, and it was flecked with brass for added shimmer.
Restorers wanted to use materials and techniques that were as close as possible to the original ones, so sometimes it's difficult for conservators to tell exactly when restoration took place. Kate told me that humidity causes raised areas of paint, and we can see places where the paint seems more textured or where there are cracks in the panels.
Next time you're looking at our wonderful collection of European art, be sure to stop by the Gabinetto and imagine what it would have been like to have such an incredible room be part of your everyday life! You can also find out more about conservation projects here at the museum on our website.