Restored the 19th-century wing of the Royal Apartments of the Royal Palace of Caserta. Now back open to visitors

The restored rooms of the 19th-century wing of the Royal Apartments of the Royal Palace of Caserta reopened to the public. Work began in 2020 and was carried out by Ganosis Consorzio Stabile; it was financed by the 2014/2020 “Culture and Tourism” Plan of the Fund for Development and Cohesion.

The restorations involved the Royal Staircase and the 19th-century wing of the palace, the four-poster beds and bedside tables of Joachim Murat and Francis II, 1,410.52 square meters of terracotta flooring painted in faux marble, 811.47 square meters of doors and hatches, four brass and crystal chandeliers; new fixtures were also installed and and 189 pieces of furniture were maintained.

“The effort to restore to this place the dignity of a Royal Palace and the great suggestion of charm and beauty envisioned by the Bourbon patrons now requires a great investment of economic and professional resources,” said Tiziana Maffei, director of the Royal Palace of Caserta. “The numerous construction sites facing articulated activities of restoration, plant upgrading and re-functionalization of the rooms highlight the management complexity that our museum is facing in order to best ensure the reception of the public and develop its cultural mission. A gradual recovery that, in the reopening, we share with all the highly specialized professionals and workers who have worked, bearing witness to a cultural heritage whose care and custody can only take place by being able to count on great expertise, passion and sense of responsibility towards the public good.”

Thus, the west wing of the Royal Palace is once again open to the public: the Council Chamber, the 19th-century rear rooms, the Cradle Room, the antechamber and small chapel of Pius IX, Joachim Murat’s bedroom and antechambers, and Francis II’s bedroom and antechamber can all be admired. The focus of the restoration is precisely the private rooms of the two rulers with their monumental beds. Francis II’s is a large double-headed mahogany wood “en bateau” bed with four busts depicting Pallas and Mars. The two headboards are adorned with two winged figures and friezes. The baldachin consists of a platform and a carved and gilded pavilion, ending with a wooden crown from which the curtainwork descends. The wooden structure was in a fair state of preservation; the fabrics (datable to the early 19th century) showed an advanced state of decay with tears and color changes. On the other hand, the outer drapery (replaced during an old intervention), while showing similar problems, was in a better state of preservation precisely because it was of recent workmanship, but with altered hue. On the wooden parts, lifts, micro-fractures, small gaps and flicker holes due to an infestation of xylophagous insects were noted in several places. Joachim Murat’s mahogany wood bed has rich decoration with gilded wooden friezes depicting helmets, spears, swords and lion heads. Four pikes support the canopy, from which descends a curtain of ivory and blue fringed satin. The fabrics were in a poor state of preservation. Following microscopic analysis, what had already been hypothesized at the planning stage of the restoration was confirmed. The materials were found to be industrially manufactured, certainly after the bed was made, and in very poor condition. It was deemed appropriate to replace them. In view of the value of Leucian silk production and the deep, historical and ideological connection, the Royal Palace of Caserta asked for the cooperation of the Caserta Chamber of Commerce, which generously donated 100 meters of silk satin and 100 meters of taffeta provided by the San Leucio Textile network, a trademark for the protection of San Leucio silk. In this way, the bed regained its royal garb.

“The Caserta Chamber of Commerce,” said President Tommaso De Simone, “was pleased to lend its support to the request that came from Director Tiziana Maffei. The fabrics used for the restoration of Joachim Murat’s bed are protected by the San Leucio Silk brand, and in order to certify the silk supply chain, the originality of the fabrics and the craftsmanship, they are equipped with blockchain technology. San Leucio Silk and the Royal Palace of Caserta together are one of the highest expressions of combining the enhancement of our excellence.”

The work in the nineteenth-century rooms of the Royal Apartments also involved the restoration of the doors. After finding their original gilding, made at the time in silver meccato to gold, it was restored, where possible, and reconstructed in the parts where it had now been lost. With the collaboration of Opera Laboratories, two pelmets with zinefra, original and preserved in the storerooms, were recovered and reassembled, and the creation and placement of new curtains at each window was continued. The study and restoration of the original silk cords, sealing the surges, has also been initiated. This activity will be followed by special in-depth studies.

Highly precise work was done on the faux-marble painted terracotta flooring in the 19th-century rooms. After surveys, carried out by visible, ultraviolet and infrared light photography and taking small samples analyzed in the laboratory with an optical microscope and under UV fluorescence, conservation professionals reproduced the designs, chrome plating and surface details.

The restoration was also an opportunity for research and knowledge. Following an agreement with the Department of Mathematics and Physics of the Lugi Vanvitelli University of Campania, a study of gilding techniques was initiated, from which an important historical-artistic fact emerged: the presence of lead works gilded with gouache gold leaf, an unusual technique found in numerous decorations in the Royal Palace, as well as valuable information on earlier interventions. “It was an extensive and complex restoration,” commented Eleonora Iannace of Consorzio Stabile Ganosis, “carried out with highly skilled workers. Our restorers, divided into teams, worked on the different areas in order to ensure the work was carried out in a workmanlike manner and the durability of the intervention over time. All the work was carried out with care and dedication by all the professionals and technicians involved.”

The further wide selection of works from the Terrae Motus collection can also be visited, with the refurbishment in the 19th-century wing and the 18th-century back rooms. The Reggia di Caserta, in November 2020, began the process of re-positioning the works donated by gallery owner Lucio Amelio to the Reggia di Caserta in 1993 along the museum route. After the placement, conceived by director Tiziana Maffei in collaboration with Angela Tecce, of the first twenty-one, through a contamination between contemporary art and Court environments, the display of the collection has been completed in recent months. “I lived through the birth of the Terrae Motus collection from the very beginning, in those years I was at the Superintendence of Naples and had been frequenting Lucio Amelio’s gallery for years: therefore, I know its genesis and developments,” concluded Angela Tecce, President of the Donnaregina Foundation for Contemporary Arts. “I thank Tiziana Maffei for her important assumption of responsibility for the entire heritage of the Royal Palace of Caserta. In addition to the reopening of the nineteenth-century rooms, the Terrae Motus collection finally finds, in its entirety, a splendid location in the Reggia di Caserta, just as in the wishes of its creator.”

Pictured is the Bedroom of Francis II

Restored the 19th-century wing of the Royal Apartments of the Royal Palace of Caserta. Now back open to visitors

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