Vellum Wings of the F. Pianta Clock

Artist: Francesco Pianta il Giovane (1632-1692)
Location: Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Sacristy
Medium: Vellum and wood
Proposed treatment: Cleaning and maintenance
Sponsored by: Students at Trinity College, Hartford CT

During the Baroque period in Venice, wooden decorative furnishings such as choir stalls, wardrobes, furniture and objects gained popularity. German artists generally had a monopoly in this field, but a few Italian specialists, such as Brustolon, Piazzetta and Pianta, stand out.

The Venetian artist Francesco Pianta il Giovane was an eccentric figure known for his maniacal precision of detail. He is most known for the cycle of carved wooden dossals for the upper hall of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. A quirky and disconcerting sculptor, he worked with a caricatured realism full of grotesque, almost surrealistic, inventions. Pianta's clock in the sacristy of the Church of the Frari is an outstanding example of the artist's originality in expression, with its extremely intricate allegorical wooden carvings and amazing detail.

The wooden carvings of the clock are in good condition. However, the vellum-covered wings of this exceptional object are in urgent need of maintenance. The vellum will be removed from the clock wings to be cleaned and then softened to regain its original shape. Before they are remounted on the clock, a secondary support will be placed between the vellum and the wood of the clock as a protective measure.

Before restoration

After restoration