Short videos

Restoration continues... three artworks attributed to Violante Siriès Cerroti in the Prior's Chapel at the Certosa di Firenze monastery face the next step of the conservation process. "A solution of Gel Funori purified algae was then brushed onto the reverse of the canvases, in order to strengthen and consolidate the fibres," explains co-conservator Elizabeth Wicks. "Once dry, two coats of acrylic consolidant resin in White Spirit were applied by brush to the reverse to assur

Layer by Layer: Structural conservation. From removing old varnish and reweaving tears, to using techniques that minimise canvas distortion… Watch the multi-faceted structural conservation phase, which involves a series of operations geared at giving stability and solidity to each painting layer. The restoration and awareness-raising project featured in this video, known as ‘Accademia Women: Violante’, was organised by the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (AADFI) and Syracuse

Conservators are 'cleaning up the past'. "The cleaning of paintings attributed to Violante Siriès is a multi-step procedure which involves removing their very thick layer of grime and smoke deposits. The varnish on these paintings is a restoration varnish probably applied during the twentieth century. As we gradually removed the varnish from all the colours, the repaints emerged. They are also seen clearly in the diagnostic photos we took in ultra violet light," says Elizabet

Diagnostic Photography reveals the state of conservation of three paintings from the Prior's Chapel at the Certosa di Firenze monastery in Florence, Italy, before restoration begins. It is used to reveal original materials and techniques used to produce paintings attributed to eighteenth-century painter Violante Siries Cerroti. During the process, conservators map damage and changes to the paintings. They also pinpoint the degradation of substances applied during previous res

Restoration Begins. What does it take to restore a painting from centuries past? This video begins at Florence's Certosa di Firenze monastery, with the removal of three eighteenth-century paintings that are ready for restoration. Watch the largest painting – a ‘Reading Madonna’ by early female artist Violante Siriès Cerroti – being removed from its made-to-measure niche in the Prior’s Cell, along with two smaller roundels of Saints Agnes and Catherine, whose attributions to S

"A new solution for old retouching" features the Allegory of Inclination an oil-on-canvas painting produced by Artemisia Gentileschi (1615-1617) for the gallery ceiling at Casa Buonarroti, in Florence. "We decided to remove the brown overpaint on the figure's belly, elbows and knee because, after diagnostic testing, we determined that this brown retouching was applied after Il Volterrano covered Artemisia's nude allegorical figure," says head conservator Elizabeth Wicks, whil

Artemisia's Painting Undergoes Scanning Techniques and Analysis by the National Institute of Optics Dr. Raffella Fontana heads the team at INO team at the National Institute of Optics, in Florence: “We are making a virtual 3-D model,” she says of Artemisia Gentileschi's Allegory of Inclination at Casa Buonarroti. "We’ll be able to zoom into Artemisia’s pentimenti – where she changed her mind – and follow the contours of her craquelure." “This is micrometric analysis," Fontana

In this video, conservator Elizabeth Wicks begins the cleaning process for ‘Artemisia UpClose’ and the original colours of Artemisia’s Allegory of Inclination at the Casa Buonarroti Museum in Florence are revealed. Dr. Wicks removes the paper and canvas backing glued to the back of the stretcher, before turning her attention to the front of the painting. She removes smoke deposits, dust, old glue and varnish layers… and the viewer can enjoy the painter’s lapis lazuli skies.

Detective work continues on Artemisia's 'Allegory of Inclination' in Florence with microscopic work under raking light and more. “Through working photographs, diagnostic imaging and analysis, we will be able to determine the exact technique Artemisia used, correctly map the work’s condition, and monitor our treatment plan for the painting,” says the project’s conservator Elizabeth Wicks, who heads the team of restoration scientists, for 'Artemisia UpClose' at Casa Buonarroti

See Artemisia's painting being removed from the ceiling at Casa Buonarroti Museum - the first time it has been touched in over 300 years! Florence’s home-museum dedicated to the memory of Michelangelo embarks on the restoration of Artemisia Gentileschi’s 'Allegory of Inclination' (1616), the first painting the artist created during her 7-year sojourn in Florence.

Women photographers: Alinari Archives to Contemporary Perspectives Video by Olga Makarova Villa Bardini, one of the exhibition’s venues – together with Forte di Belvedere – provided an evocative backdrop to the show which brought together female greats of the past and contemporary Italian women photographers. Curated by Emanuela Sesti and Walter Guadagnini, it ran from June 19 to October 2, 2022. Organised and promoted by the Alinari Foundation for Photography and the Fondazi

Florence-based conservators and restoration scientists spent one year studying and safeguarding Artemisia Gentileschi’s Allegory of Inclination   at Casa Buonarroti. In this new 12-minute video by filmmaker Olga Makarova, the project’s restoration team  shares process highlights, shedding light on the skill and the thrill of working with Artemisia UpClose. WATCH THE VIDEO The Artemisia UpClose project, organised and hosted by Casa Buonarroti Museum and Foundation, was sponsor

Italian artist Ilaria Margutti uses embroidery to capture the brilliance of Henrietta Leavitt, who was hired by Harvard University as a 'human computer' in the early twentieth century. She made ground-breaking discoveries as part of Edward Charles Pickering's all-women team employed to classify the stars. In short, Leavitt's research made it possible to calculate a star's distance from the Earth. Using an age-old technique Margutti creates 'Seven Canvases for Henrietta Leavit

National Central Library of Florence, Dante Hall March 8 – June 8, 2024 Video courtesy of @museogalileo This exhibition, the first of its kind in Italy, focuses on the role of women in astronomical research and on exploring the female images that most frequently feature in representations of the cosmos from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Drawing on the rich holdings of the Central National Library of Florence, this exhibition presents scientific, literary and

Florence-based Russian filmmaker Olga Makarova visits the ateliers of ‘Palace Women’ artisans in the Oltrarno and beyond, in this short video spotlighting the creative process of crafters Ilaria Ceccarelli and Ayako Nakamori (fabrics and natural cord), Kristie Mathieson (grès) Jane Harman (wood), Andrew Stone (watercolor woodblock prints), Negar Azhar Azari and Brenda Luize Roepke (jewelry). From September to December 2023, lectures, tours, original artisanship, music, an exh

CHALLENGE: Historic women artists inspire modern-day making   How will artisans of the present respond to female artists of the past? International female-run workshops will draw inspiration from the paintings and personalities of art history's female greats to design and create an original work. Florence-based Russian video-maker Olga Makarova is set to capture artisans' creative process in a documentary-short premiering on June 9, along with the pieces themselves at 'Sotto