Following meticulous restoration, three artworks from the Cini’s collections are once again visible to the public: a 16th-century virginal, a 14th-century wedding chest, and a 14th-century wooden sculpture.

These restorations, which are a part of a broader campaign of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini to preserve its collections and monumental structures, were carried out by conservator Stefania Sartori under the supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Venezia. They were funded by Save Venice, with the support of The Boston Chapter of Save Venice (virginal) and Christopher Todd Page (wedding chest and sculpture).

The Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Save Venice have enjoyed a long-standing collaboration, initiated in 1990 with the restoration of important works of art, including four 16th-century tapestries (Maerten II Reymbouts) depicting the Stories of Scipio (ca. 1580) and the altarpiece by Carletto Caliari (ca. 1590).

The partnership also extends to works housed at the Gallery of Palazzo Cini, where, from 2004 to the present, Save Venice has supported the restoration of eight paintings, including the Madonna and Child by Lorenzo Costa (ca. 1501–1503), the Holy Family with the Infant Saint John by Pietro di Cosimo (ca. 1520), and the Saint Peter Martyr by Vecchietta (ca. 1460–1475).

The 16th-century Virginal

This modestly-sized keyboard instrument, belonging to the spinet family, was a widely-used instrument in the late Renaissance and appreciated for the sweetness and harmony of its sound. It features a wooden case embellished with arabesque motifs, cartouches, and scrollwork highlighted with gilded lines on a black background. When the front panel is opened, the interior of the case reveals extremely refined decorations.

Purchased by Vittorio Cini in 1938 from the Venetian antiques dealer Antonio Carrer, it was initially placed in the grand hall of the Castle of Monselice before being transferred to the Island of San Giorgio. In terms of style and chronology, it has been compared to another highly refined example preserved at the Royal College of Music in London, signed by Giovanni Celestini in Venice in 1593—the same period to which the Cini instrument can be dated.

Following restoration, the decorations on the lacquered background that cover the entire wooden case are once again clearly visible. They feature cartouches and scrollwork with an orientalizing taste, typical of the Venetian tradition of the High Renaissance. Even more precious decorations—slightly raised and executed in shell gold, silver, and red and green lacquers—are also found inside the case, closed by a front panel. The white keys, made of bone and ebony, are likewise adorned with gold lettering and arabesque decorations. The support structure is made from assembled solid wood blocks; the soundboard still retains its strings, jacks, and all the functional components necessary for playing the instrument.

The conservation work was preceded by a series of analyses that highlighted the instrument’s preservation issues, primarily related to overpainting on damaged areas and surface deposits that, over time, had become embedded in the varnish, obscuring the gilding and iridescent lacquers. Additional concerns involved structural damage, including the breakage of the front panel, which had two horizontal fractures previously glued with synthetic resins. The original paint layer and its varnish showed clear signs of deterioration and were in many areas severely compromised, abraded, or entirely missing. Evidence of a previous restoration was also present. Finally, the wooden surface displayed numerous exit holes, testifying to a past infestation by wood-boring insects.

The Wooden Marriage Chest

This Florentine work dates to the last quarter of the 14th century and is made of poplar wood. The slightly domed lid is reinforced by a series of metal bands that divide the front into five panels. Each panel contains two superimposed scenes executed in low relief. Alternating against red and blue backgrounds, they depict themes codified by courtly tradition and widely used in marriage-related iconography, such as a young man and a lady on either side of the “Fountain of Love,” and a crowned knight on horseback, at times holding a riding crop, at others a scepter.

On either side of the central lock are two family coats of arms: one unfortunately illegible, the other identifiable as the emblem of the Del Riccio family, confirming the Florentine origin of the work. The shorter sides of the chest are embellished with floral motifs, also in low relief against red and blue backgrounds. Finally, traces of the original pastiglia decoration are visible on the lid.

This artifact was acquired by the Cini by 1940 from the collection of Anna Maria di Bosco, and was subsequently placed in the Castle of Monselice. Later, it remained in the Gallery of Palazzo Cini at San Vio, in the Room of the Primitives.

Treatment focused on areas of damage, particularly on the lid and the bottom panels, caused by an extensive woodworm infestation that resulted in the loss of wooden material. Following disinfestation, repair, and consolidation of the compromised and degraded wooden structures and metal elements, a complex surface cleaning was undertaken. Several section of the paint later had been partially reconstructed, as well as various losses concealed by coarse fills and overpainting that had since deteriorated. Oxidized varnishes and altered retouchings were carefully removed without affecting the early 20th-century reconstruction, which had been executed to an excellent standard. The intervention concluded with retouching, chromatic calibration, and final varnishing. These operations were preceded by appropriate stratigraphic analyses aimed at determining the composition of the pigments and binding media, as well as identifying the 20th-century reconstructions.

The 14th-century Madonna and Child Sculpture

This carved and painted wooden sculpture depicts the the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child in her arms. She holds a book in right hand, while Jesus, supported by her left arm, gently strokes a dove. The work  dates to the second half of the 14th century and is attributed to an unknown artist of the Abruzzo region.

The sculpture was purchased in 1960 by Vittorio Cini from the Florentine antiques dealer Giovanni Salocchi, and has always been kept at Palazzo Cini Gallery, where it is displayed in the Room of the Primitives.

The analyses conducted during the restoration allowed conservators to reconstruct the sculpture’s conservation history: Mary’s mantle and tunic were originally white with gilded pastiglia decoration. Over time, the work underwent invasive interventions that altered its original coloration, with superimpositions and removals of paint layers that eventually exposed the preparatory layer on the Virgin’s mantle.

While Mary’s mantle appears white today, consevators discovered that it is actually the base preparation layer that remains visible, as the original white color was mistakenly removed during a past restoration. Her red garment with gilded decorations was also added in a later repainting. X-ray investigations also confirmed that part of Mary’s crown was also a later addition.

Treatment included the disinfestation for wood-boring insects, repair and consolidation of the wooden elements, surface cleaning, pictorial integrations of losses, and the application of a protective surface varnish.

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