A precious restored fifteenth-century tapestry returns to Venice

Renata Codello, general secretary of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, declares: «The joint commitment of the Giorgio Cini Foundation and Intesa Sanpaolo, with the careful intervention of Open Care – Servizi per l’Arte, has made it possible to preserve this precious artefact, to apply new technologies and to open up unprecedented research paths. The complex digital operation allows us to observe the surface of the tapestry from a new perspective, revealing unknown or difficult to compare aspects regarding both the textile structure and the colour. For example, by exploring and enlarging the back of the tapestry, which has better preserved the original colours, and comparing it with the front without having to manipulate and stress the work, it is possible to resolve some of the doubts that scholars have asked in the past regarding some additions made during previous consolidation interventions”.

Adds Silvia Foschi, head of Historical, Artistic Heritage and cultural activities at Intesa Sanpaolo: «Since its first edition in 1989, Intesa Sanpaolo’s “Restitutions” program has also turned its attention to textile manufacturing, a type of work for which the intervention methodologies have developed and refined over time. The return of the tapestry to Venice The entry of Vespasian’s army into Palestine – thanks to the collaboration between the Giorgio Cini Foundation, Open Care and Intesa Sanpaolo – represents an emblematic outcome of what the Restitution program intends to achieve: taking care of the works of the country’s artistic heritage, deploying the best skills and methodologies and the most advanced technologies, opening up new possibilities for study, dissemination and responsible use by the public”.

Of Franco-Flemish manufacture, made in a wool and silk weave, based on a model by the master of Coëtivy, the tapestry can be dated between 1470 and 1480: it is a large tapestry measuring 4.30 m by 3.98 m. It arrived from Rome in 1967, together with two other important ancient artefacts, the complementary “Siege of Jerusalem” and a “Historical or Biblical Scene”, as a gift from the diplomat Leonardo Vitetti to Vittorio Cini. The collection of ancient tapestries kept by the Foundation numbers seventeen examples and is considered one of the few, and probably the most conspicuous, private collections of ancient tapestries.

The scene represented is not complete: it is the right half of a large artefact whose left part is formed by the fragment showing Nero sending Vespasian and Titus to Palestine preserved at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Lyon.

“The entry into Palestine of Vespasian’s army” was the subject, in 2022, of the first 3D and high resolution digital acquisition of one of the most precious tapestries in Vittorio Cini’s collection and an integral part of the historical-artistic heritage of the Foundation. Digital documentation of the surface of the tapestry is an essential step in understanding the state of health and material structure of the work: the shape, texture and color of the tapestry were acquired thanks to a combination of 3D and 2D scanning technologies without direct contact of the machine with the object and developed specifically for the art and cultural heritage sector.

The entire information system is thus available to experts, scholars and the general public to appreciate this work of art like never before. The digital data obtained may also be used in the future for possible facsimile reproduction and for monitoring the object in view of future conservative interventions.

Isabella Villafranca Soissons, scientific director of the conservation and restoration department of Open Care, explains: «The 3D digitization and analytical mapping of the tapestry allowed us to define a fully respectful intervention both in terms of respect for its history and in terms of the material. Thanks to this integrated approach, we have guaranteed stability and readability of the work, making a more in-depth knowledge of the artefact possible and ensuring its conservation over time”

The restoration operations were carried out by Open Care – Servizi per l’Arte of Milan. After detailed digital mapping, the restoration began with the removal of surface deposits on the front and back, using variable power vacuum cleaners, and the tapestry was prepared for washing. The long consolidation phase began with the revision of all the weaving sections. Subsequently, the tapestry was entirely supported with linen fabric, to guarantee a new stability to the artefact. Only in the areas of particular decorative and iconographic importance, such as the faces of some characters, were a few passes of color and material consistent with the original inserted, following a more sparse texture. This gave the scene greater readability. The last and important phase of the intervention was the lining of the tapestry and the creation of a new suspension system.

Milena Gigante, head of Open Care’s tapestry, carpet and fabric laboratory, concludes: «This restoration was a job of great precision and patience, which lasted two years. The few additions inserted, limited to the essential decorative details, improve the readability of the scene, without altering its authenticity, to provide a clearer reading of the artefact without ever overlapping with the hand of the Flemish masters of the fifteenth century”.