Search Results
-
211945 (Looting of Collection during World War Two)- The war ends and reports begin to emerge about the poor condition of the Castle and portions of Eugenia's collection that were left behind. Eugenia's family would later claim that the Nazis looted or destroyed "over a million dollars in art treasures, paintings and the like and only five pictures were salvaged." (Link1). Later accounts from Monuments Man Prof. Ernst T. deWald describe the extensive damage stating that "every stick of furniture remaining was hacked to pieces and the pictures slashed to ribbons."
-
221945-1957 (War Refugees Occupy Castle) - People displaced by the war move into the Castle.
-
231949-1950 (Donation of Artworks to Villanova) -Eugenia donates Pietro da Cortona's Triumph of David painting as well as 10 other works to Father Daniel P. Falvey of Villanova University.
-
241951 (Death of Eugenia)- Eugenia dies at her 5th Avenue apartment in New York City on the night of January 26/7 at the age of 89. Sadly, her intent was to donate the Castle of Nemi to the Holy See to serve as an American-Italian educational center, a vision that was never realized due to the litigation process. Eugenia's niece, Alexis Droutzkoy, inherits the Ruspoli estate.
-
251952-1957 (Eugenia's Niece Alexis Funds Restoration)- Prince and Princess Droutzkoy donate 20 more paintings as well as four texts to the University and pay for the conservation of The Triumph of David (link to pdf of The Villanovan)
-
261957 (Droutzkoy-Ruspoli Legal Case Begins) - Eugenia's son-in-law Prince Alexis Droutzkoy goes to Miami Beach to settle a legal suit about the family's claim to the Castle of Nemi.
More about the case here -
271963 (Dedication of University Library) Villanova University Library is rededicated in honor of the late Rev. Daniel P. Falvey, O.S.A. (who passes in 1962) who had devoted nearly half his life to the library. Rev. Falvey founded the "Friends of Villanova Library" committee to raise funds for the building; Eugenia Ruspoli and the Droutzkoy family were active members.
-
282001 (Death of Eugenia's Grandson) - Eugenia's grandson, Alexis Droutzkoy Jr. (born 1956 in NY) dies on January 15th. Triumph of David briefly examined and deemed a possible insurance loss.
-
292013 (Death of Eugenia's Niece) - Eugenia's adopted niece Maria Theresa Alexis Droutzkoy dies at the age of 71.
-
30September 2013 (Start of Conservation/Examination)- Conservation treatment begins on the Triumph of David performed by professional conservators from the University of Delaware
-
31The painting was de-installed from the south wall of the Old Reading Room. The conservation team began the examination and preliminary analysis of the painting using non-destructive techniques in addition to collecting microscopic paint samples.
-
32Since the completion of the 1950's restoration campaign, the painting has hung along the south wall of the Reading Room in Falvey Library.
-
33Professional art handlers from Atelier Art Services assisted project conservators during the de-installation process. The painting together with the wooden stretcher weighs around 500 lbs. and measures approximately 12 by 20 ft. so multiple individuals are required to safely move the artwork. A temporary caged fence was built to allow visitors to visible access to the project during off-work hours.
-
34It was important for conservators to be able to access both the front and back of the painting throughout the duration of the treatment. Four temporary wooden battens were constructed that safely supported the painting in an upright position against the East wall of the Reading Room. The construction was designed to specifically allow for temporary access to the painting's surface, enabling conservators to remove the front of each batten when it was deemed necessary. Pieces of soft Ethafoam were also used to protect the face of the painting from the battens.
-
35
-
36Prior to conducting treatment, conservators always perform a thorough examination and assessment of an artworks construction and condition. The support is composed of two large sections of plain-weave canvas (with a horizontal seam running through the center). At some point during a previous restoration campaign the original fabric support was completely lined or adhered to an additional canvas, presumably to aid in the repair of structurally compromised areas (e.g. planar deformations, tears, etc.). Finally, strips of canvas were adhered along all four edges of the canvas to provide additional strength to the tattered tacking margins.
-
37Old tears in the canvas had re-opened and subsequently covered with various adhesives and overpaint. Here you can see the planar deformation caused by one tear running through the legs of King Saul.
-
38Shown here is a detail of the small child in the lower right corner. Unfortunately past cleaning attempts utilized solvents/cleaning methods that caused damage to the original paint layers. As a result, a significant amount of overpaint was hastily applied over remaining areas of original paint throughout the child's face and torso.
-
39A detail taken from the kneeling woman's back showing overpaint and significant paint loss. During a previous restoration campaign, several losses in the paint layer were left unfilled leaving the bare canvas exposed. Restorers then applied overpaint directly over these losses, staining the canvas beneath.
-
40Shown here is a detail of an old tear running through the torso of the soldier on the left. The planar deformation caused by these tears suggests that they may be the result of prolonged compression of the paint and ground layers. The painting was likely rolled (as is common with most large format artworks) to facilitate transportation and storage and may have experienced an uneven distribution of weight during this period.