municipality of veniceMayor: prof. Giorgio OrsoniPublic Works Assessordr. Alessandro MaggioniPublic Works Manager eng. archt. Manuel Cattani

fondazione musei civici di venezia Presidentdr. Walter HartsarichDirectordr. Gabriella BelliDirector of Palazzo Fortuny archt. Daniela Ferrettiwith archt. Francesca BoniTechnical and Maintenance Service Managerarcht. Daniela Andreozzi

superintendency of architectural and environmental heritage of venice and its lagoon Superintendent archt. Renata CodelloGeneral Supervisionarcht. Anna Chiarellidr.ssa Annalisa BristotRestorer: Alessandro Longega

Procedure Managereng. Paolo Felletti Spadazzi(until 2008/04/29)archt. Andrea Bellotto (until 2013/04/12)archt. Roberto Benvenuti (since 2013/04/13)

Designersarcht. Giorgio Bellavitisprof. Giorgio Baffoarcht. Marco Lazzariarcht. Diego Zanardoeng. Romeo Scarpaeng. Flavio Zuanier Collaborators to the projectarcht. Claudio Spagnolarcht. Silvia Caniglia

Work Managementarcht. Andrea Bellotto surveyor Luca Lionellosurveyor Marco ManzelliRestorereng. Romano Cavalletti

Security Coordinator during the planning and execution of the projectwith thanks to Nicola Belloni

Financing of the Special Law for VeniceWork duration 3 yearsContractual Amount€ 811.673,00 (all taxes included)

Executive firmLares - Lavori di Restauro S.r.l.

Operating Staffdr. Mario Massimo Cheridodr.ssa Elisabetta Ghittinoarcht. Donata Cheridoarcht. Silvia Boel

Consultantseng. Franco Pianoneng. Andrea Tantaroarcht. Stefano Lorenzon

RestorersChiara BaggiMarcella BabettoSantino GabrieliAzmi AbduloskiRaffaele CavalloOttavio FiliceLisa MittoneAlessandra Accialini Luana MocerinoBarbara Casagrande

Graphic DesignTomomot

The conclusion of the restoration of the facade of Palazzo Pesaro Orfei is for all of us a moment of great emotion.One of the oldest examples of Venetian architecture, over the centuries the Palace has become a vehicle for collective memory. Its glory lies in the greatness of the names of those who lived there, the preciousness and elegance of its proportions and the severity of its stone and marble, the harmony of its large wall expanses: voices and sounds of artists, artisans and merchants, musicians and writers, echoes of power and glory, but also traces of humbler everyday life.It was with this magnitude of scale that the Palace seduced the eclectic and brilliant Mariano Fortuny, becoming with him the image of Venice in the world.Today, it is with deep joy and great excitement that we present the results of an intervention that, after years of work, returns to Venice, and to the entire world, one of the most fascinating architec-tural examples in the lagoon city. We also look forward to a continuity of action for the completion of the restoration of the building, under the auspices of Cesare Brandi’s teachings: «Restoration is the methodological moment in which the work of art is appreciated in its material form and in its historical and aesthetic duality, with a view to transmitting it to the future».

Daniela Ferrettipalazzo fortuny

Walter Hartsarichpresident of the fondazione musei civici di venezia

With the recuperation of the facade of Palazzo Pesaro Orfei, seat of one of the most seductive museums of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Palazzo Fortuny, a precious piece of the rich architectural heritage which forms the complex and diverse system of museums in Venice, regains its glory and brightness.On behalf of the Foundation, I express my deep enthusiasm and heartfelt gratitude for this extraordinary restoration, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Municipality of Venice, the support of the Superintendency of Architectural and Environmental Heritage of Venice and its Lagoon, and the competence of the Lares Restauri restoration firm. This result is the fruitful culmination of the dialogue and cooperation between local institutions and businesses, in the una-nimous sense of responsibility towards history and the city.

With this important intervention, after nearly a century and a half, the historic facade of Palazzo Fortuny will be returned to the City and to the citizens of Venice, fully displaying once again its original beauty.Another important step forward in the protection of Venice, a city so delicate and fascinating because each small element represents a unique and irreplaceable part of its grandeur and perfection.I wish to thank the Office of Public Works of the City, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Fondazione Musei, and all those who contributed to this wonderful result, because it is thanks to the synergy of skills, professionalism and passion that results like this are made possible.

Alessandro Maggionicommissioner of public works city of venice

Built for Benedetto Pesaro in mid-fifteenth century, the building was extended and altered over the centuries, and today this massive palace boasts two imposing facades, one overlooking the Ca’ Michiel canal and a a larger one, among the most complex examples of Venetian Gothic, facing Campo San Beneto. The architectural structure of the palace fully reflects the Venetian tradition, and offers several solutions of significant value like the two seven-light pointed arch windows on the first and second floor, and the unusual length of the rooms that span the entire width of the building from facade to facade. Erected on a previous building constructed with the characteristics of a commercial fondaco, the typical Venetian trading house and warehouse, it was later enlarged with the addition of the rooms and storerooms along the axis that connects the canal-side entrance to the landward entrance, the portego. On the ground floor, traces of four segmental arches, subsequently bricked up, are still visible. The interiors have some particularly relevant and refined architectural elements, such as the carved wood lintels and the sculpted marble pillars on the piano nobile.

Mentioned as one of the main buildings in the city by Francesco Sansovino in his Venetia città nobilissima et singolare, in the sixteenth century, as Marin Sanudo wrote in his Diaries, it was the stage for numerous memorable parties by two of the Compagnie della Calza, the Immortali and the the Ortolani, in honour of princes, ambassadors, patricians and noble ladies, and of a lavish ceremony ordered by Pietro Pesaro in 1522 “ for his appointment as Procurator of San Marco.” Notable were the works of art that the Pesaro family had collected in the palace and that could be admired there: “Excellent paintings both ancient and modern , among which are a wonderful

history

Samaritan woman by the hand of Pordenone; an Adulteress by Giorgione.”Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the male line of the

Pesaro San Beneto died out, and the building was divided into two properties, one part going to Elena Pesaro, the last direct heir, the other to the Pesaro of San Stae. From 1720 to approximately 1825, the building was fully rented out: tenants included the Albrizzi Print Shop, but also philharmonic societies such as the Accademia degli Orfei, starting from 1786, and later the Società Apollinea, which subsequently moved to Teatro La Fenice.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the building was converted into numerous apartments, resulting in the creation of new stairs and corridors needed to accommodate about 350 lower-class tenants and allocate some space for commercial use, such as the print shop of one of the most famous Venetian photographers, Paolo Salviati. It was in a state of total neglect and decay when in 1898, attracted by its architectural beauty, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo took over the huge room located in the attic of the building, establishing his own studio in the loft. Over the years, Fortuny acquired the other parts of the property, and began to gradually restore the building: as tenants left, vacating the apartments, he refurbished the rooms, tore down partitions and superstructures, bringing balance and proportion back to the old palace. After initially using the building as a workshop for his artistic experiments and stage designs, Fortuny eventually chose Palazzo Pesaro Orfei as his permanent home. In 1907, together with his wife and muse Henriette Nigrin, he set up a small workshop; after a few years, two entire floors of the building were occupied by his extraordinary atelier for the creation and printing of distinctive dresses and fabrics in silk and velvet.

In 1956, after Fortuny’s death (1949), the building was donated to the City of Venice to be “perpetually used as a center of culture in relation to the arts.” The city administration came into full possession of the building in 1965, at Henriette’s death and, in 1975, the doors of this unique house-cum-museum were opened to the public.

previous pagesPalazzo Pesaro Orfei. Facade overlooking Campo San Beneto, ca 1893

Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, ca 1910

Palazzo Pesaro Orfei. Seven-light window on the first floor, taken from inside towards Campo San Beneto, ca 1915

next pagesPalazzo Pesaro Orfei. Digital photoplan of the facade overlooking Campo San Beneto, 2007

Drawn up in 2000, the restoration project of “Palazzo Fortuny” was revised and divided into functional sections to adapt the interventions to the financial planning of the City and, at the same time, avoid shutting down the museum’s activities. The work carried out so far concerns the 1st Phase of the 2008 Executive Project, and was started in September 2009. These measures concern the restoration and conservation of the main facade facing Campo San Beneto with the renovation of the window frames and the roof (restoration and integration of the window frames, repairs to the roof).

The alterations and changes of use that had alternated over the centuries had left clear traces on the main facade of Palazzo Fortuny in the numerous infills visible before the restoration of the second floor piano nobile, and were already present in archival images dating from the 1890s and 1920s.

On the main facade, steps were taken to consolidate the masonry and all the stone elements, including the balconies and Gothic windows, in order to allow the reopening of the infilled windows that had been bricked up about 150 years ago and the safe use of the balconies.

The essential prerequisite for this project was to not alter in any way the overall image that the facade had acquired in the course of time, favouring the preservation of most of the integrations now part of it.

While work was in progress, structural instabilities and conservative criticalities were detected, as they became visible only after the removal of the existing wall bracing and shoring systems. A close visual analysis and several samples taken on site, under the supervision of the technicians from the Superintendency, led to the

the restoration

use of differentiated restoration and consolidation techniques aimed at ensuring a non-aggressive approach and the respect of the original surfaces and materials that make up the facade.

The extensive cleaning tests and stratigraphic investigations performed on the building allowed to detect elements covered by several layers of paint, probably applied during maintenance operations to reduce the visual impact of black crusts, so it was necessary to proceed with the accurate removal of the various layers of paint from those surfaces.

The restoration has allowed the recovery and examination of all the fragments of the original historic plaster typical of the Gothic period, thus highlighting the presence of traces of polychrome paint.

After the pre-consolidation of the paint layer, these plasters were consolidated in depth, then surface deposits and black crusts were removed and touch-ups with tone-on-tone watercolor glazes were added to make them easier to read.

Several elements, notably in Istrian stone, were affected by instability and problems of a static nature, especially the balconies and the “barbacani” - timber jetties - that had already been the object of consolidation measures in the past with the insertion of metal superstructures that had further aggravated the situation as a result of iron oxidation.

The interventions also involved the removal of the elements no longer securely fixed in place, the replacement of oxidized metallic

elements with stainless steel elements and the gluing together of the parts that had become loose or misaligned.

The cleanup operations were kept at low-impact levels in order to preserve all the patinas present on the Istrian stone, and involved the use of different methodologies, from localized paper pulp and sepiolite compresses saturated with ammonium bicarbonate and deionized water, to the use of ion exchange resins massaged directly onto the surfaces so as to calibrate the level of cleaning to the desired level.

The stonework that had cracks or showed signs of spalling and surface pulverization was consolidated with localized micro-injections of nanosilica filled fluid epoxy resin and subsequently either brushed or sprayed with ethyl silicate. Cracks and commissures between the joints were pointed with salt-free lime mortar and stone dust, then a wash was applied to match the original sections with the use of lime-based paint and natural pigments.

The entire brick wall surface showing traces of old plaster was treated with anti-fouling products for the removal of biological patinas. The surfaces were cleaned through repeated washings with solutions containing ammonium carbonate, the mortar and pointing were reintegrated and a final treatment with strengthening product was applied, followed by a waterproof protective coating that would also ensure resistance to uv light and no discoloration of the surfaces.

these pagesStratigraphic and cleaning tests.

previous pages Fragments of plasterpainting after restoration.

from the leftrecomposition of detached fragments; removal and installation of its unstable elements; restoration of the balustrade.

from the leftUsing ion exchange resins; grouting; localized consolidations on stone elements; application of the protective treatment.

Facade of Palazzo Pesaro Orfei in 1968 and in 2013.