Description of the work
This carriage, of unknown provenance, may be dated to around the middle of the 18th century on the strength of the Rococo style of its body.
Designed for short trips or for riding in the city, it is decorated on its doors and four outer panels with hearts painted with allegories of the seasons and putti with triumphs of fruit and flowers. Internally, the carriage is upholstered with sky blue brocatello with a floral design, in poor condition.
The polychromy and gilding on the frames and carved wooden details are preserved in part. The glass windows, which could once be opened, are old but unlikely to be original. The footman’s platform at the rear and the coachman’s box at the front are both missing.
Restoration
The carriage is in moderately poor condition on account of the use to which it was put in the past and to prolonged lack of maintenance.
The conservation procedure aims to maintain the item’s surviving parts and to improve its overall aesthetic appearance. It is neither possible nor necessary to restore it into a working vehicle.
The operations envisaged are:
- Correction of the coach alignment;
- Verification of the leather straps’ solidity and subsequent treatment of said straps;
- Disinfestation of the carriage’s wooden and fabric parts;
- Reconditioning and cleaning of the carriage’s metal parts, including door handles and hinges;
- Cleaning, consolidation and, where necessary, replacement of the upholstery fabric;
- Consolidation, cleaning and, where possible, retouching the paintwork of the carriage’s painted leather parts;
- Cleaning, consolidation and, where either possible or necessary, retouching and renovation of the carriage’s wooden parts and of their colour and gilding;
- Evocative recreation of the lost coachman’s box using fabric imitating examples of the period;
Display
The carriage, currently in storage, is intended for display in the future Museo delle Carrozze (Carriage Museum).
Duration of the restoration
Twenty-two months from assignment of commission
Proposed by Alessandra Griffo, Curator of Furniture, Carriages, Tapestries and Musical Instruments.
