Accademia Riaci
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Reporter
Kate Appleby

Country: England
Course: Restoration of Paintings
Program: Short Course
Period: Jul 4, 2022 – Aug 12, 2022

I loved seeing the Palazzo Vecchio. There were so many amazing paintings but this ceiling was my favourite.

Aug. 05, 2022 | Posted in Reports, Restoration of Paintings , | Tags:, Reporter: Kate Appleby | Course: Restoration of Paintings

Restoration of Paintings Short Course (n.1)

Restoration of Paintings blog1. My first task of the course is to practice restoring a painting by filling in missing areas. I chose to restore ‘The Dream of St. Ursula’ (1495) by Carpaccio. Elena, the tutor, cut out areas of the painting with a scalpel for me to restore.
Restoration of Paintings blog2. Before I could begin to paint the missing pieces of the image, I had to add a layer of plaster to create a surface to paint on that was level with the rest of the print. To make the plaster, I melted rabbit skin glue over a pan of hot water and then mixed in the plaster powder.
Restoration of Paintings blog3. In the missing areas of the picture, I scraped off the plaster with a scalpel so that it was level with the surface of the print.
Restoration of Paintings blog4. On the bordering areas of plaster, I used sand paper to remove any bumps in the material and to smooth the surface.
Restoration of Paintings blog5. My last task of the week was to draw in the missing pieces of the painting, ready to be painted next week.
Restoration of Paintings blog6. Elena gave me an overview of the fundamentals of restoring paintings; compatibility of restoration materials or tools with the original artwork, reversibility of restoration techniques and recognition of the restored artwork as similar to the original.
7. I also learnt about the main types of supports for a painting and their history. The first type of support used in the history of painting was a wall, giving rise to frescoes. The second support used in the history of painting was wood, which required a high level of expertise since the quality of wood determined the lifetime of the painting. Later, in the 1500s, canvas became the preferred support for painters and artists would put the canvas through various processes whilst also relying on their sense of touch to judge the quality of a piece of canvas. The type of canvas that painters most commonly chose was linen, which was the most natural and elastic, making it easier to restore.
Restoration of Paintings blog7
Restoration of Paintings blog8. Aside from studying, I’m enjoying seeing the sights of Florence and walking around the city. This is the Ponte Vecchio at night!
Restoration of Paintings blog9. I loved seeing the Palazzo Vecchio. There were so many amazing paintings but this ceiling was my favourite.


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At Accademia Riaci, we are recruiting Course Reporters from our students. The students who are chosen to become Course Reporters are given 10 % of the tuition as their scholarship fee.
The Reporters who have submitted excellent reports will have his or her profile posted on our school website for the next 5 years as an alumnae and will be able to connect with their business chancesafter their graduation.

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