Give students the necessary tools in order to face the design of a restoration project, to be able to work on an artwork on canvas from the structural point of view, and finally to give the necessary tools to know how to handle the new technologies in the field of restoration.

Analysis of the rheological behavior of the constituent materials (12 hours)

• mechanical properties of wood, of canvas, of the preparation, of the paint layers, of the physical-mechanical behavior of materials, of external factors and theirs influence in the behavior.

The tension of the paintings on canvas - theoretical part: (19 hours)

• The constant stress and the relationship canvas-frame.
• Analysis and variations of the distributions of the tensions within a painting in relation to the types of frame that we use.
• Traditional methods and history of the tension of the paintings on canvas.
• Of the importance of creating a floating system with priority on the shrinkage of the support stretcher.
• Measures to give uniformity to the forces applied to the painted textile.
• The stretcher as a tool of preventive conservation: recent solutions to balance the forces.
• Models and mechanisms for self-expansion frames and floating self-adaptive frames.
• Low impact solutions for the reuse of the original frames.
• Recovery of ancient frames and study of reticular frames.
• Design and calculation of the applied forces on part of the canvas of a auto-adaptive floating frame
• Systems of sliding perimeter edges and protection systems of the back.
• Folding auto-adaptive floating frame for the restoration of large format canvases.
• A moulding frame with a floating auto-adaptive suspension system for recto-verso paintings on canvas.

The tension of the paintings on canvas - practical part: (32 hours) 

• Design and structural analysis of a new frame: the traditional auto-adaptive floating frame
• Making many types of stretchers with floating auto-adaptive systems.
• Making of System to carry out a floating auto-adaptive frame.
• Making of floating systems using external tensors
• Fitting a canvas with a floating system.
• Operations to keep the original frame by transforming the lien by inflexible to floating.
• Structural calculation of the sections of the materials that make up the frame.

Consolidation of paint layers and support: (theory and lab 8 hours)

• using traditional materials: animal glues
• using synthetic materials

Physical and mechanical interferences of the consolidatings of paint layers in a painting on canvas (6 hours)
Protection and the velinatura technique: theory and pratice (8 hours)
Physical and mechanical interferences in the velinatura technique (6 hours)
Use of the hot table (theory and pratice, 6 hours)
Use of the low pressure table (theory and pratice, 8 hours)

• example of the design and implementation of a vacuum system.
• livelling of the textile canvas: caracteristics of the application and its use cases
• determining the use cases of low pressure table
• enforcing and strengthening with the low pressure table

Remove the lining (theory and pratice, 2 hours)
Partial and full lining (theory and pratice, 8 hours) 

• Evaluating the need for lining and use cases, the Strip lining method and the Nap Bond System method.
• Using traditional materials
• "metodo alla Romana"
• use of Beva in the lining and other synthetic materials.

The concept of minimal intervention and the concept of not lining where possible (2 hours)
Illustration of case studies and exemplary restorations. (10 hours)

• The student must show the control of basic skills related on identification of performance techniques and constituent materials and the reading of the state of preservation of the painting in relation to its conservation history;
• The student must show the requisite skills to use theoretical and practical knowledge that enable it to properly design the restoration and / or maintenance project according to actual needs of the work with particular interest in the material and structural aspects, even in the face teaching cases problematic, and to operate with a certain degree of autonomy both in the preliminary phase of the study (design phase) is in the purely operational phase;
• The student must show the ability to apply the knowledge gained in previous courses and to develop a personal research relating to the concepts assimilated in his studies.
• The student must show the ability to draw up an accurate technical report of work done with the reasons for such materials and methods chosen, and its digital documentation performed in the different time phases of the intervention.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

A set of texts and pictures will be provided as a support for the lectures with notes and technical papers.

Teaching

The teaching of the course will be based on technical and theoretical lessons and practical demonstrations by the teacher and in a practical part on the works carried out in the laboratory samples or directly by students

Attendance

physical presence is mandatory

Course books

• Carità R., Considerazioni sui telai per affreschi trasportati su tela, in "Bollettino dell'istituto centrale del restauro", n.19, 1955.
• G. A. Berger, The role of tension in the preservation of canvas paintings: a study of panoramas, in ICOM Committee for Conservation 6th Triennal Meeting, Preprints, Ottawa, 25-27 September 1981, Paris, 1981, pp.1-12.
• W. H. Russel-G. A. Berger, The behavior of canvas as a structural support for painting: preliminary report, IIC Preprints Science and Technology, Washington D.C. 1982.
• F. Del Zotto, Preservation of canvas paintings. Structural solutions in relation to environmental changes. Preliminary report in Science Technology and European Cultural heritage, (Proceedings of European Symposium, Bologna,13-16 June 1989), Brussels-Luxembourg 1991, pp. 717-721.
• F. Del Zotto, Preservation of canvas paintings. Structural solutions in relation to environmental changes, in ICOM Preprints, Dresda 1990, pp.113-118;
• F. Del Zotto, Self-expansion stretcher for two-sided paintings: floating auto-adapting suspension system, in ICOM-CC Preprints, Rio de Janeiro 2002, pp. 338-345.
• F. Del Zotto, Il telaio come strumento di conservazione preventiva: recenti soluzioni per l'equilibrio delle forze e il mantenimento delle strutture di supporto originali, in Lo stato dell'arte, (Atti del primo congresso nazionale dell'IGIIC), Torino 2003, pp. 396-408.
• F. Del Zotto, Bastidores y pinturas sobre lienzo. Equilibrio de las tensiones y propuestas operativas (secunda parte), in "PH57 - Boletin del Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Historico", 57, (Febrero 2006), pp. 82-96.
• F. Del Zotto, Separazione e recupero di una pellicola pittorica superficiale stesa come rifacimento sulla policromia originale di un dipinto tessile, Atti del nono congresso nazionale dell'IGIIC, Venezia 2010, pp. 291-298.
• F.Del Zotto, Tensionamento dei dipinti su tela. Contributo per una ricerca metodologica applicata in relazione ai fattori ambiente e microclima, sta in Kermes n°9, Firenze 1990, pp. 3-10.
• F. Del Zotto, Telaio-cornice con sistema di sospensione flottante autoadattivo per dipinti su tela recto-verso, sta in "Kermes" n. 69, Trimestrale, Nardini Editore, 2008, pp.61-73.
• E. Francescutti, F. Del Zotto, A noi tutti sarebbe obbligo sacrosanto di tramandare quest’opera che tanto ci onora intatta ai più tardi nepoti”. Conservazione e conservatori della Pala di Este dall’Ottocento ai giorni nostri, in Gianbattista Tiepolo “il miglior pittore di Venezia”, a cura di Giuseppe Bergamini, Alberto Craievich, Filippo Pedrocco, catalogo della Mostra Gian Battista Tiepolo 15 Dicembre 2012 – 7 Aprile 2013, Villa Manin, Passariano-Codroipo, 2012.
• Franco Del Zotto, Il delicato equilibrio strutturale dei dipinti su tela: la storia e le soluzioni attuali verso l’autosufficienza progettuale e realizzativa per il restauratore, sta in Tensionamento e telai a cura di Roberto Bestetti e Lorenzo Marchet, Cesmar 7, Il Prato editore, 2016, pp. 60-74.
• M.F. Mecklenburg, Meccanismi di Cedimento nei dipinti su tela: approcci per lo sviluppo di protocolli di consolidamento, Collana I Talenti, Il Prato, Padova 2007.
• Daphne De Luca, I Manufatti dipinti su supporto tessile, Vademecum per allievi restauratori, Collana Lineamenti di Restauro e Conservazione dei Beni Culturali; Il Prato, Padova, 2012
• W. Heiber, Tear repair on cotton canvas: a variation of the Heiber Tecnique, WAAC Newsletter, Volume 28 numer 2, May 2006 (on line).
• V. R. Mehra, Pensando ad alta voce ...Thinking out loud..., Quaderni del Cesmar7, n. 0, Il Prato,Padova 2003.
• V. R. Mehra, Foderatura a freddo. I testi fondamentali per la metodologia e la pratica, Firenze, Nardini Editore,2004.
• G. Secco Suardo, Manuale ragionato per la parte meccanica dell'arte del restauratore dei dipinti, Milano, 1866.

Assessment

The examination consists in:

To take the exam, the student must submit a technical report of the operations project and/or restoration works phases made in the laboratory, drawn in a group or individually.

• The report will be developed according to the model provided by the teacher during the modules and it will include:
  • Graphic documentation;
  • photographic documentation;
  • Card detection and documentation.
• The work will be completed and corrected during the module course and delivered in electronic form and paper copy, during the exam.
• Photographic images should be properly numbered and linked to its caption.

The examination consists of an interview to be incurred with teachers who belong to the modules followed. The oral exam will focus on:

• Operations carried out in the laboratory
• Bibliography provided by the teachers.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

If the students have theirs own cameras and/or personal computer or tablet, they are kindly asked to bring them when attending this course.