Allegorie e colore: il restauro degli affreschi di Pozzoserrato

sulla facciata di palazzo Zignoli a Treviso

[Allegories and colour: the restoration of the frescoes by Pozzoserrato on the façade of Palazzo Zignoli in Treviso]

by Rossella Riscica and Chiara Voltarel

Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche

Treviso 2017

20 pp., 23 colour illustrations and 2 black and white

ISBN 978-88-99657-73-4

(distributed not for sale)

Allegorie e colore: il restauro degli affreschi di Pozzoserrato sulla facciata di palazzo Zignoli a Treviso is a dossier published by the Fondazione as part of the research and cataloguing activities dedicated to Treviso Urbs Picta (scientific supervisor Lionello Puppi) and to mark the exhibition of the same name. It presents the recent conservation treatment of the late 16th-century frescoes by the Flemish painter Lodewijk Toeput, called Ludovico Pozzoserrato (1550-1605), on the facade of Palazzo Zignoli, a stunning building a stone’s throw from Piazza dei Signori in Treviso’s historic centre. Thanks to this treatment we can appreciate the colours and brushstrokes of a late Mannerist masterpiece on the exterior of a building in Treviso.

“… an exemplary restoration planned and carried out flawlessly every step of the way: from the involvement of the various owners of the building to the project drawn up by specialists, from the execution of the work by a highly qualified restoration firm to the constant supervision and support of the local heritage authority.  The City Administration was involved not only in its capacity as lessee of the building but also providing support and facilitations for the building site. But most importantly it was based on a ‘philological’ study of the fresco carried out from both technical and art-historical viewpoints, confirming its traditional attribution to Pozzoserrato and revealing interesting new information with regard to its iconographic interpretation. The final outcome was the restitution – despite the inevitable decay caused by the effects of time – of one of the most beautiful facades in the city of Treviso along with an equally important report describing the conservation treatment and study of the fresco.”(from the foreword by Eugenio Manzato).

Rossella Riscica, architect, followed her first-class degree from the IUAV University of Venice with a Master of Science in “Economics and Techniques for the Conservation of the Architectural and Environmental Heritage” from the University of Nova Gorica. She combines her work on site with teaching activities – both as a university lecturer and for professional training programmes –  as well as participating in numerous conferences and publishing articles on conservation and rehabilitation including “Ca’ Zenobio a Venezia” (Recupero e conservazione, 119, 2015) and “Palazzo dei Trecento a Treviso: il restauro della merlatura” (Acciaio arte architettura, 56, 2013). Since 2011 she has worked as a researcher on the Treviso Urbs Picta project carried out and promoted by Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche, participating in various activities to diffuse the results of the ongoing research, with a particular focus on themes concerning conservation and related techniques.

Chiara Voltarel, art historian, first-class degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the University of Udine with a dissertation on medieval architecture. She has published La chiesa di Santa Margherita. Storia di un monumento dimenticato (2008) and several essays including La decorazione della chiesa di Santa Margherita nel contesto trevigiano: frammenti superstiti, in Santa Margherita degli Eremitani a Treviso. Materia e memoria del complesso conventuale (2014); she has curated the art-historical material for various publications. She has worked as a freelance journalist for Il Gazzettino di Treviso for many years. Since 2011 she has worked as a researcher on the Treviso Urbs Picta project promoted by Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche, carrying out studies, cataloguing activities and contributing to the diffusion of results.