Conservation has also begun on one of Paolo Veronese’s most celebrated paintings, the Abduction of Europe, in Palazzo Ducale thanks to the generous support of Rebecca Nemser. The true brilliance of Veronese’s work is obscured by multiple layers of yellowed and darkened varnish along with chromatically altered retouchings from earlier interventions.

Expert conservators from the CBC Conservazione Beni Culturali firm led by Caterina Barnaba are carefully removing these non-original surface materials, which will significantly improve the work’s legibility, allowing the colors, contrasts, and painterly nuances to re-emerge with greater clarity and authenticity. Small areas of pictorial loss will be filled using stable, reversible conservation-grade materials, and treatment will conclude with the application of a new, protective varnish, safeguarding the painting against environmental factors to ensure its long-term preservation.

Museum visitors can observe the conservation underway, which is taking place in a dedicated space near the Sala del Maggior Consiglio.