Mantua, maintenance for the Bridal Chamber: goal to preserve Mantegna's masterpiece

From Feb. 24 to March 7, 2025, the Bridal Chamber, the fascinating work by Andrea Mantegna (Isola di Carturo, 1431 - Mantua, 1506) created between 1465 and 1474, will undergo a major scheduled maintenance operation. The pictorial masterpiece commissioned by Ludovico II Gonzaga for the Ducal Palace in Mantua, which has attracted attention for centuries for its extraordinary refinement, needs periodic checks to ensure its state of preservation and preserve the beauty of its frescoed walls. The maintenance activity mainly involves a cleaning operation that removes surface dirt accumulated on the frescoed walls, but it is not limited to this. Each time, restorers must also check for any lifting or movement of the paintings, a delicate and precise activity that requires experience and a thorough knowledge of artistic techniques. Periodic maintenance is essential to preserve the integrity of the work, avoiding more invasive interventions that might be necessary if signs of deterioration are overlooked.

This year, for the first time, the Ducal Palace in Mantua will have the support of theOpificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, one of Italy’s most prestigious institutes in the field of cultural heritage restoration and conservation. The restoration will be conducted by Maria Rosa Lanfranchi and Sara Penoni, professionals in the field of mural painting restoration, under the direction of Renata Pintus. The Opificio is known for its advanced conservation techniques and its role in research and training in the field of art heritage protection. During the maintenance operations, the Bridal Chamber will be regularly open to the public, except on Mondays, allowing visitors to continue to enjoy the beauty of the fresco and its history. This intervention is part of a tradition of care and protection that, in the case of works of this significance, is essential to ensure their preservation for future generations.

“To be invited to take care of the Bridal Chamber, pardon the pun not even entirely correct, is an authentic wedding invitation for which I thank the Director,” says Emanuela Daffra, superintendent of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. “For our restorers and students to have prolonged face-to-face time with one of the finest achievements of the 15th century is not only an important service commitment, but also an extraordinary opportunity for in-depth study. This is why we have preceded the intervention with a campaign of diagnostic photography with high-definition acquisitions (diffuse and grazing visible light, UV fluorescence, IR, false-color infrared, hypercolorimetry), the results of which, to be read by interweaving them with the examination of the walls, already promise to be full of interest and rich in novelty.”

“My gratitude,” says Stefano L’Occaso, director of the Doge’s Palace, “goes to the teaching officers of the OPD and to the restorers who will work, in synchrony with the restorative officers of the Doge’s Palace, Daniela Marzia Mazzaglia and Sara Scatragli, on this maintenance intervention, which is also an act of gratitude to Mantegna and the masterpiece he delivered to us. The activities have been scheduled at a time of the year, between February and March, when the presence of scaffolding in the Camera Picta will be less disruptive, since, we remind you, the intervention will be carried out when the museum is open. The public will thus be able to admire not only Mantegna’s paintings, but also the loving care that is being devoted to our fragile masterpiece.”

Mantua, maintenance for the Bridal Chamber: goal to preserve Mantegna's masterpiece

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