The document summarizes the restoration of a wooden angel statue from the Cathedral Museum of Milan. It describes the statue's condition, including cracks, losses of gilding and paint, and overpainting. Conservation treatments included cleaning to remove overpainting using different solvent mixtures for the wings. Losses were filled and the base consolidated with dowels and resins. The original gilding and paint layers were reintegrated through chromatic integration and imitation of bronze and gold leaves, completing the restoration of the wooden angel statue.

1. INTERVENTION OF RESTORATION
pair of wings
belong to
WOODEN ANGEL OF THE
CATHEDRAL MUSEUM OF MILAN
and other interventions on the carving statue
Simonetta Capetta
Couple of wings Angel statue:
ANALYSIS INTERVENTION OF
RESTORATION
INTERVENTION OF
RESTORATION
UV
NVESTIGATION
Removing inconsistent
deposits
Consolidation and
reconstruction of the
basement
FT-IR Cleaning consistent
deposits
Dowels chromatic intonation
XRF Removing repainting Filling lacunae support
Filling cromia lacunae Painting integration
Painting integration Finishing basement
1

2. Photography from the catalog 1978
The angel was
part of the main
altar of the
Cathedral of Milan
until 1927, the
year in which it
was put to the
deposits.
2Description

3. Photography from the catalog 1978 whit the wing.
3Description
FRONT BACK

4. Photography from the catalog 1978
4Description
Angel statue with his attributed wings.

5. SUBSTRATE:
Presence of cracks caused by the
shrinkage of the wood
POLYCHROMY:
Lacunae of cromia
Extensive repainting
Dripping of paint on the back
5Conservation status

6. 6Multispectral Analysis: UV images

7. 7Multispectral Analysis: UV images

8. XRF
FRONT LEFT
WING
1. GOLDEN LEAF
Au, Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb
2. COPPER LEAF
Cu, Zn, Fe, Ca, K, Pb
3. PORPORINA LAYER
Cu, Zn, Fe, Ca, K
FT-IR
FRONT LEFT WING
a. finishing on gilding:
natural resin, calcite, lead white b.
Bronze finishing:
natural resin, gypsum
c. Repainting:
silicate, gypsum, natural resin,
polyvinyl acetate.
BACK LEFT WING
d. Repainting:
silicate, gypsum, natural resin
e. Drippings:
Polyvinyl acetate, lead white,
gypsum
FT-IR
FRONT RIGHT WING
f. Fluorescent finishing:
natural resin.
g. Repainting:
silicate, lead white, natural resin,
polyvinyl acetate
h. Preparation:
calcite, lead white.
ALA DESTRA RETRO
i. Repainting:
silicate, gypsum, natural resin
8FT-IR, XRF

9. 9Stratigraphic analysis
Stratigraphic section observed
under an optical microscope
at 200X magnification.
Sample taken from the area of
the right arm of the sculpture
of the angel.
1. ORIGINAL LAYER OF
PREPARATION
2. SILVER LEAF
3. SECOND PREPARATION
LAYER
4. BRONZE CROMIA

10. Stato di conservazione
RIGHT WING Cleaning with thickened solution
of ethanol in water.
LEFT WING Cleaning with neutral oily emulsion.
10Surface cleaning
NEUTRAL OILY
EMULSION:
4 ml Tween 20
10 ml of
demineralized
water
90 ml of ligroin
ETHANOL
SOLUTION IN
WATER
4 ml Tween 20
100 ml of
demineralized
water
15 ml of ethanol
Klucel

11. 1
1
The test results
RIGHT WING
Mixture LE1 - FD91
(90% ligroin, 10% ethanol)
to remove repainting and not
affect the resin surface.
LEFT WING
Difficult to identify the
appropriate mix.
Initial removal with LE8 - fd 42
(20% ligroin, 80% ethanol) that is
too aggressive and also removes
the natural resin.
Cleaning tests: Test of solubility (Wolbers test)

12. Cleaning tests: Test of solubility (Wolbers test) 12
I risultati del test:
Choosed the mixture LE1 for
removal repainting.
Hypothesis removal
• synthetic resin
• wax mixed with resin
Difficult to differentiate the layers
of original painting and
subsequent maintenance.

13. Cleaning results 13

14. Cleaning results: UV images 14

15. ALA SINISTRA Stuccatura
LEFT WING
RIGHT WING
15RIGHT WINGFilling
Filling with gypsum and glue in
the preparation lacunae of the
polychrome.

16. 16
Watercolor Integration
with selection
technique for gilded
areas.
Chromatic integration

17. 17
REGALREZ 1126
in ligroin with the addition
of Kraton G (10% on a dry
basis).
First infiltration in
concentration to 5%.
Second infiltration to 10%.
Basement: consolidation

18. 18
Wooden poplar dowels glued to the substrate
by epoxy resin for wood (Araldite sv127) and
then bonding with aliphatic glue (Titebond).
Basement: reconstruction

19. 19
Filling with colored epoxy resin (balsite).
Basement: filling the substrate lacunae

20. 20
Watercolor chromatic
Intonation of the dowels
added.
Basement: chromatic intonation of the dowels

21. 21Statue: painting integration

22. 22
Chromatic selection
technique with
watercolor for imitation
of bronze and gold
leaves only for the
areas of reintegration
of the preparation
(filling).
Statue: painting integration

23. 23The finished restoration

24. 24The finished restoration