The restoration of the Chiaravalle Cross. Restare Restauratori Italiani

Fig 1. Detail of a fragment of the golden filigree adorning the Chiaravalle Cross

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The restoration of the Chiaravalle Cross

The Chiaravalle Cross, a jewelry masterpiece dating to the 13 th century, is a processional cross being restored during “Restituzioni 2016” (1) . The approach to the Chiaravalle Cross and its restoration has involved a number of critical issues due mainly to the different types of materials and techniques used for the manufac turing of this masterpiece of Venetian jewelry art, embracing the excellence of one or more workshops where sculpture, chisel, jewelry and glyptics merge in unison to offer something universal. The Cross is made up of a wooden structure covered on the front by 12 plates in red jas per, on which were applied the main figures of the crucified Christ, the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, all made of molten silver in lost wax, finely chiselled, gilded with mercury amalgam and polished with burnished (the typical signs, resulting from the rubbing of the tool, are still visible). A golden filigree (see a detail in fig. 1) frames the entire shape and is adorned with several gemstones. The perimeter thickness of the Cross is entirely covered by a smooth and shiny silver foil made in a unique segment, fixed with nails and folded on the front and back sides. On the rear, there are embossed, chiselled and gilded silver foils, placed inside the carved wooden structure and then covered with slabs made of “rock crystal” (see fig. 2). The crystal slabs are framed and held by silver plates, probably added in the 17th century restoration, adorned with simple relief motifs obtained only chiselling. Similar gem settings are placed also on the front. Finally, the multifaceted knot, with six lozenges, represents as a whole the synthesis of the two sides of the Cross, with the pres ence of filigrees, gem settings, red jaspers, embossed, chiselled, gilded foils and the rock crystal covering them.

Fig 2. A particular of the rear of the Cross, with manufacturing details (the wooden part, the silver plates, the gem settings and the rock crystal)

Acknowledgments We thank Emanuela Daffra for her collaboration and for very valuable discussions

The peculiarity of this masterpiece, owned by the Oblate Fathers, but exhibited at the Museo del Duomo’s collection, is that several stylistic features seem to have been produced after the 13 th century. The restoration work is documented in the restoration report published by Restituzioni [1] . The University of Milan-Bicocca, in collaboration with the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, coordinated the scientific investigations during the restoration of the Cross, addressing dif ferent materials [2] . The analyses were intended to provide useful indications to the dating of the work or its subsequent alterations, both using established techniques (such as C14 dating, Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscope inves tigations), as well as nuclear techniques, dedicated to the study of metals. Main results were gathered in a recent publication [3] . The primary objective of the project was to share, both with an audience of specialists and with the general public, the results of scientific analyses and their repercussions on histori cal and artistic interpretations in an organic way, thanks to the collaboration that has been established between public and private entities, and between scientists and historians for the study of such a complex cultural good. Our team of experts is still collaborating in order to deepen the knowledge about the Chi aravalle Cross, but also for the development and implementation of a “real multisciplinary practice” in the cultural heritage field, to be applied also in future projects.

REFERENCES

[1] http://www.restituzioni.com/opere/croce-di-chiaravalle/ (2017) [2] “La Croce di Chiaravalle. Approfondimenti storico-scientifici in occasione del restauro” by Giulia Benati and Daniela Di Martino, BookTime, Milan (2017) ISBN code: 978-88-6218-293-5 [3] D. Di Martino et al., “The Chiaravalle Cross: Results of a Multidisciplinary Study”, Heritage (2019), 2, 2555-2572; doi:10.3390/heritage2030157

Daniela Di Martino, Roberta Cattaneo, Giuseppe Gorini, Dipartimento di Fisica “G. Occhialini”, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca Giulia Benati, Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano Roberto Alberti, Tommaso Frizzi, Michele Gironda, XGLab S.R.L. - Bruker Nano Analytic Sandro Baroni, Fondazione Maimeri Carlo Bertelli, University of Lausanne Franco Blumer, Franco Blumer Restauro Metalli Letizia Caselli, Ateneo Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti, Classe di Lettere e Arti Costanza Cucini, Laboratoire “Métallurgies et Cultures”, CNRS, IRAMAT Université de Technologie Belfort Montbéliard Fabio D’Amico, Lisa Greggio, Maya Musa, Gulf Institute of Gemology Lorenzo Lazzarini, LAMA, Università IUAV Elisabetta Gagetti Enrico Perelli Cippo, Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi, CNR Maria Pia Riccardi, Arvedi Laboratorio, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Pavia

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