Save Venice’s Women Artists of Venice (WAV) Program continues to lead the way in
uncovering and recognizing the overlooked accomplishments of women artists and artisans from Venice in the early modern era. At the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, vital investigations are being conducted on thirteen pastel portraits–nine by Rosalba Carriera (1673 – 1757) and four by members of her school. Executed in pastel on blue paper, these notably fragile and delicate materials make any type of conservation treatment particularly complex. To address this challenge, the Accademia is undertaking a comprehensive program of analyses to determine how to best safeguard and treat these remarkable pieces.
 
Pictured: Detail from Rosalba Carriera’s Portrait of a Young Girl with a Ciambella, Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia.
 
WATCH NOW | Take a behind-the-scenes look at the scientific investigations of Rosalba Carriera’s pastel portraits underway at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice thanks to support from Save Venice.

The results of the research will guide the conservation of Rosalba’s pastels in Venice and provide an opportunity for discussion and comparison for other museums and for restorers who may face similar issues. Support from Save Venice makes this work possible, funding the scientific testing, the acquisition of a new ER-FTIR Spectrometer, the involvement of three young researchers specialized in conservation chemistry and diagnostics, and consultation with leading pastel conservators from the U.K. and Switzerland.
 
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to project patrons Rebecca Nemser; Amanda T. Essex; Lee Essex Doyle; Patricia N. Olsen; and Anonymous, donors Beatrice Esteve; James D. Krugman & Connie Simmons; Anne H. Fitzpatrick; Richard & Jill Almeida; Nino Vaghi, and Prof. Tracy Cooper & Timothy Wardell, and our 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign supporters.

Save Venice is also funding the conservation of 58 engravings by Sister Isabella Piccini (1644–1734) from the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia’s collection, held at Ca’ Rezzonico, thanks to the support of Nancy Piraquive. Piccini is a rare example of a 17th-century female engraver. Trained in her father Giacomo’s workshop, she later became a Franciscan nun at the convent of Santa Croce. There she produced engravings for nearly 230 books issued by Venetian publishers. This essential treatment will address tears, stains, and deterioration to ensure the long-term preservation of the paper artefacts, and also shed new light on her illustrious career.

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The conservation of Giulia Lama’s Madonna and Child with Saints Peter and Magnus and the Allegory of Venice in the church of Santa Maria Formosa also began this month, following the generous support of Donna Malin. This remarkable altarpiece, dating to the early 1720s, was likely the first ecclesiastical commission Lama received. It was created for the high altar of her parish church where she was baptized and spent her entire life in the immediate neighbourhood. The painting was removed from the high altar after the church was severely damaged during World War I. The picture was only rediscovered in storage by parish priest Father Gino Bortolan in the early 1970s and has been displayed in the apse behind the main altar of the church for the past five decades. Conservator Claudia Vittori and her team will carry out the treatment on-site within the church. Their work will urgently address mold growth on the painted surface and lining, as well as remove oxidized varnishes and chromatically-altered inpainting from previous interventions.

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We look forward to sharing more updates on these conservation projects as well as the forthcoming Finding Women Artists of Venice database that will be published online in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Save Venice extends its heartfelt gratitude to the donors who have made these conservation projects and research initiatives possible. Contact us today to learn more about how you can support the Women Artists of Venice (WAV) Program.