The 2023–2025 conservation of the banco was made possible with Save Venice general funds.

This large wooden desk, historically known as banco, once served as the central gathering place for meetings of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco’s highest council in the Sala dell’Albergo. Here sat the guardian grande, vicario, guardian da matin, cancelliere, and the twelve degani, a governing group collectively referred to as the Banca, named after the very bench on which they convened. From this position the Banca oversaw the daily administration of the Scuola, their authority and charitable mission visually amplified by the monumental Crucifixion by Tintoretto rising behind them. In this masterpiece—restored by Save Venice alongside the wooden desk itself— Christ embodies the ultimate act of charity, a theme that would have resonated deeply with the council as they governed the Scuola, reinforcing their responsibility to uphold both administrative order and the charitable ideals at the institution’s core.

Beyond its ceremonial and structural role, the banco was also created to conceal a practical secret: a narrow staircase leading from the Sala dell’Albergo down to the mezzanine. Known today as the Scrigni, this secluded lower room was referred to in the 17th century as the Santuario, for it safeguarded the Scuola’s precious relics, along with documents, money, and candles. The relics remained within this hidden space until 1770, when a new sanctuary was completed to house them.

The top of the banco is partly covered in leather, while its front is divided into four sections: three large movable panels and one fixed panel at the far right, beside the staircase leading to the Scrigni. When the movable panels are lifted away, they reveal an internal structure of unfinished firwood fitted with small doors that open onto a series of deep drawers. The panels themselves, built on wooden frames, are clad in black leather and embellished with brown leather appliqués, each hand-stitched.

At the center of each panel are three large oval medallions made of thin white leather, still showing faint, time-worn traces of once-painted designs that can no longer be recovered. Four additional ovals, arranged vertically, repeat this delicate craftsmanship. A garland of leaves and berries—echoing the warm tones of the surrounding decoration—unifies the ensemble, encircling each oval and visually linking them into a cohesive whole.

The back of the desk is left in unvarnished wood, while the top is fully wrapped in black leather, glued down and secured along its entire perimeter with metal studs.

Treatment began by addressing the leather’s extreme fragility, the result of severe dehydration and collagen loss. The thick accumulations of waxes, oils, dust, and embedded dirt from past maintenance were carefully reduced and removed, allowing the leather to breathe once again. Areas on the top surface that bore crude, undocumented fills were cleaned, corrected, and reintegrated. The leather’s dryness, wrinkling, and diminished elasticity were mitigated through targeted interventions aimed at restoring flexibility and structural coherence. Tears, splits, and areas of detachment were realigned and securely consolidated. Meanwhile, the underlying wooden support frames, showing signs of wood-boring insect activity, were treated to halt any active infestation and to stabilize the structure overall.

Unknown Artist
Banco
Early 17th century, leather and wood
106 x 1060 x 134 cm

Chiari Moretto Wiel, Maria Agnese. Il banco della Sala dell’Albergo e il suo restauro. In “Scuola Grande Arciconfraternita di San Rocco in Venezia. Notiziario,” 53, 2025, pp. 51-57