Florence, restored painting for precious gemstone panel with Vase of Flowers exhibited for the first time

From January 14 to March 29, 2025, the Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence presents the exhibition From Paper to Stone. The Model for Edoardo Marchionni’s Vase of Flowers, dedicated to the long and patient intervention involving a painting on paper depicting a vase with flowers executed in egg tempera in the 1870s by Edoardo Marchionni, then Director of the Opificio.

The painting, never previously exhibited, was originally the 1:1 model for a semiprecious stone panel created for the1878 Paris World’s Fair. Made using the commesso technique, the work remained unsold due to its high price, resulting from the preciousness of the materials and the artistic excellence of the work.

The Florentine Institute preserved this model in its holdings, and it is now on permanent display in the museum dedicated to its history.

In contrast to the finished panel, the preparatory model has received less conservation attention over time. Made with egg tempera on dusting paper, it was found in the Opificio’s archives in critical condition, folded in a folder with other projects, and severely damaged in both the paper and the fragile paint film.

The complex restoration work, begun in 2023 as part of a dissertation at the OPD’s School of Higher Education and Study, was recently successfully completed. This intervention not only recovered the integrity of the image by reconstructing the missing parts, but also addressed a critical challenge: the progressive detachment of the pictorial film from the paper support. This issue was solved through the use of a new-generation consolidant developed with nanotechnology by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florence.

The restoration also provided new information on the execution history of the work, leading to the identification of other designs that were functional in the creation of the semiprecious stone panel.

To emphasize the link between the restored model and the original panel, the two works are presented side by side with a stand that distinguishes them from the other exhibits in the museum but visually unites them. This approach allows visitors to appreciate not only the beauty of the finished work, but also the preparatory work and technical skill required to create a masterpiece of a clerk.

The exhibition is part of Caring for Art. Restorations on display, promoted by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and aimed at acquainting the general public with the work of the Florentine Institute’s eleven restoration sectors.

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Florence, restored painting for precious gemstone panel with Vase of Flowers exhibited for the first time

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