Modena, restored thanks to Lions Club The Alcoholic attributed to Giuseppe Molteni

After five months of restoration, The Alcoholic attributed to Lombard painter Giuseppe Molteni (Milan, 1800-1860) returns to enrich the Campori Room of the Museo Civico di Modena. It is thanks to the generous contribution of the Lions Club, offered as part of the 2024-2025 Lions year, that it was possible to finance the conservation work.

The painting, traced back to Milanese artist Giuseppe Molteni, is distinguished by the vivid and realistic rendering of the subject: the wide, flattened nose, emphasized in its deformed appearance by the contrast with the small eyes, the shaggy hair and the wide, misshapen hat. The good-natured expression of the face has led to the image being interpreted as a free depiction of an alcoholic, the title under which the work has been catalogued in the Campori Gallery. The painting is part of the genre painting trend, which in the 19th century focused on the depiction of scenes of everyday life and characters from the working classes, finding in Lombardy and Molteni one of the main interpreters.

The restoration work was carried out by Federica Romagnoli under the direction of the Museo Civico and the high supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the metropolitan city of Bologna and the provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Ferrara. After a careful initial phase of consolidation of the pictorial layers and diagnostic analysis conducted by Andrea Rossi, the restoration included the removal of old, yellowed paint and altered retouches. Subsequently, a pictorial intervention respecting the original was carried out aimed at reducing the visual impact of the gaps.

In addition to restoring the chromatic values to the painting, the restoration brought to light details of great expressive power, such as the intensity of the face, emphasized by the whiteness of the shirt, and the workmanship of the protagonist’s cloak. The frame also underwent restoration, which included cleaning, pictorial integration and a philological reconstruction of the missing decorative elements.

A particularly significant aspect of the restoration was that it took place inside the museum, in front of the public, who had the opportunity to dialogue with the restorer and art historians. This approach enabled visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the conservation process and to discover the activities usually carried out behind the scenes. The initiative is part of the “restorations on view” project, designed to actively involve the public and raise awareness about the work of protecting the artistic heritage.

With this intervention, the Modena Estense Lions Club has made a significant contribution to the conservation of one of the city’s most important art collections. Currently, further restoration is underway in the Museum’s halls, dedicated to Antonio Randa ’s painting depicting Jesus asleep on the cross. The work will continue over the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This restoration is made possible thanks to the support of the Marmottan-Monet Museum in Paris, where the work, once restored, will be displayed in the exhibition L’empire du sommeil, scheduled from October 9, 2025 to March 1, 2026.

Modena, restored thanks to Lions Club The Alcoholic attributed to Giuseppe Molteni

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