The Loggias of San Damaso, the architectural jewel of the Apostolic Palace, visible from St Peter’s Square like a fascinating stage set, do not limit their beauty to the outside but are the guardians of precious galleries that changed the course of Renaissance art history. Between 1517 and 1519, during the pontificate of Pope Leo X, Raphael directed his experienced workshop to decorate the second floor of the first “fifth” building erected in front of the Apostolic Palace, having completed the construction of the three floors of the entire façade after Bramante’s death. The project was so successful that it became a key reference point for copyists and imitators in the spread of Raphael’s work in Italy, Europe, and even Russia in the 18th century and America in the 19th. In a perfect blend of the sacred and the profane, the great artist managed to set stories from the Old Testament along thirteen spans, with architectural elements covered in stucco and grotesques, whose richness of representation comes from subjects found in the “grottoes” of the Domus Aurea, hence the name, but also from known ancient artifacts or finds found throughout the city of Rome, which did not escape Raphael’s attention as the Prefect in charge of the area’s antiquities. On the other hand, this precious environment, currently unknown to most because it is not part of the Vatican Museums, has become notorious for its conservation history, punctuated by a series of failures or frustrated attempts. Unlike the adjacent areas, such as the contemporary Stanze, the Sistine Chapel, and the pictorial cycle of the Borgia Apartment, the decorative apparatus of the Raphael’s Loggia has never been the subject of organic restoration. Since the late 17th century, it was described as a ruin or a relic. The reason for this attitude of resignation, combined with a reverential fear, lies in the awareness of the inadequacy of the means available to deal with an intervention in a poor state of conservation. This perception was renewed in the early 1970s after the unsuccessful result of of a consolidation attempt. Therefore, the only measures implemented on several occasions were limited to consolidating and protecting the paintings and reliefs as much as possible, leaving the work of the numerous copyists who succeeded each other over time to transmit the pictorial patrimony of the precious cycle. The most important intervention was the closure of the east side with stained glass windows in 1813. The reason for this difficulty lies in the specific characteristics of this unique corridor.

DOCUMENTATION

• Surface survey - execution technique, state of preservation, interventions
• Design on Autocad

MURAL PAINTING

• Removal of uneven surface deposits (dust)
• Partial restoration of adhesion and cohesion (pre-consolidation) of the paint film, preparation for consolidation and cleaning operations in case of disintegration and lifting of the paint film
• Application and removal of support and protection bandages on parts at risk of falling, to support the plaster during consolidation operations or even as a precursor to detachment or cracking operation
• Restoring adhesion between the layers of plaster that support the painting by injecting filler adhesives
• Cleaning - removal of partially coherent superficial deposits such as sedimented dust, altered fixatives and substances of various kinds superimposed on the painting by applying organic and/or inorganic solvents
• Rinsing with distilled water and application of absorbent material to remove dust partially adhering to the painting, extraction of soluble salts and residues of organic salts used for cleaning operations
• Cleaning - removal of various types of superimposed substances such as oils, varnishes, waxes, etc. using laser equipment
• Sealing of cracks, breaks and falling plaster layers
• Glazing with watercolours or re-integration of drops in the paint film or surface abrasions

STUCCO RELIEFS AND GILDING

• Removal of inconsistent surface deposits (dusting)
• Restoration of adhesion and cohesion of gilding or plastering (pre-consolidation), preparatory to cleaning operations
• Removal or lightening of encrustations, repainting, or layers adhering to the surface using laser equipment
• Restoration of flakes and fragments of limited weight and size
• Grouting of cracks, fractures, and falling plaster layers
• Watercolour glazing or reintegration of surface falls or abrasions of gilding or plastering