Review article
https://doi.org/10.21857/mzvkptzoz9
NEW CONSERVATION INSIGHTS ABOUT THE FRESCO-PAINTED PHARMACY IN VARAŽDIN
Vladanka Milošević
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod
Ivana Peškan
; Konzervatorski odjel u Varaždinu
Bernarda Ratančić
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod
Petra Uglešić
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod,
Abstract
The Varaždin Franciscan infirmary was built in 1667, adjacent to the western
wing of the Franciscan Monastery. It included a pharmacy which was used, not
only by the monks, but also by the people of the entire town. The infirmary and
the pharmacy were thoroughly restored in the mid-18th century, when the renowned
Pauline painter, John the Baptist Ranger, painted the vault of the biggest
ground-floor room. Unfortunately, due to inadequate space usage and capillary
rising damp, the frescoes were quite damaged in the 20th century. For various
reasons, all preceding attempts of sanation had been terminated, leaving the
issues of damp and salt cristallization unresolved, which led to rapid deterioration
of the painted layer.
In 2013, Croatian Conservation Institute was included in the issue, because
of the severe state of the frescoes. That was when initial conservation and restoration
research was conducted. It was found that the microclimatic conditions
in the former pharmacy were extremely poor, mainly due to several factors: wet
aggregate of concrete floors, a walled-in furnace, which was found damaged in
the hallway of the ground floor, and the surface cement plaster and waterproof
coat Aquathrill, which had been applied in previous interventions. The work
conducted by the Conservation Institute included the removal of all sources of
damage: the concrete floor in the pharmacy was replaced with a new one, the
furnace and chimney flue were opened and cleaned, and the cement plaster and
Aquathrill were removed from the walls in the basement and ground floor. This
enabled clear insight into the wall structures of the building and defining three
phases of construction. Even though the conducted research and preliminary
work are still partial, a big step has been made towards creating beneficial conditions
for restoration work on the vault painting, and, ultimately, its presentation.
Keywords
Franciscan pharmacy; Franciscans in Varaždin; baroque painting; John the Baptist Ranger; restoration-conservation research.
Hrčak ID:
231078
URI
Publication date:
24.12.2019.
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