Royal Palace of Naples, the First Antechamber restored

It shines again First Antechamber of the Etichetta Apartment of the Royal Palace of Naples. And she does it after 280 days. The restoration work that began on July 20th was presented today. 660 thousand euros, 280 days and around 60 people were needed. Researchers, restorers, fitters and craftsmen worked in unison to make the Antechamber usable again, according to modern safety standards. An important investment to bring the room back to its former glory. Ancient, but not very ancient. Two inventories from the Savoy era were fundamental, one from 1874 and the other from 1907.

The room, used since the viceregal era and already central during the Bourbon reign, dates back to the years in which the Savoy reigned. Not an easy job, a result that can be appreciated thanks to the extensive archival research carried out in recent months. «The filing work lasted almost a year and allowed us to collect the data necessary to start the restorations», says the art historian Alessandra Cosmi. «It was exciting to see how the room gradually began to shine thanks to the interweaving of historical data and the care and passion of the professionals who worked on such a complex construction site». The documentation found in the Alinari Archive and in that of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Municipality of Naples is fundamental.

All available sources were used, from archive documents to photos, through to paintings. And it is precisely a painting that, on loan from the Gallerie d’Italia and displayed in the room, shows the Antechamber at the beginning of the century. Identical to today. The restoration, which Palazzo Reale defines as “forerunner”, specifically involved the two large chandeliers, the appliques, the wooden furnishings, one of the five overdoors and the first of the two tapestries. Furthermore, the silks of the wallpapers were replaced, the curtains restored and a new marble lambris was installed, which recalls the one that existed until the Second World War.

«From the moment I took office as director of the museum, my goal was to restore its identity to Palazzo Reale», declares the director Mario Epifani. «The reopening of the First Antechamber represents the beginning of a long process of restoring the historical layout of the Etichetta Apartment through careful documentation and restoration work, which can restore to the visitor both the splendor of the court and a correct perception of the function of these spaces”. Thanks to the work directed by Ugo Varriale, restorer of Palazzo Reale.

The remaining overdoors and the other tapestry will also be repositioned again by September. All still “under the knife” of the restorers. But there are also many plans for the future. «Restoration interventions will follow in the immediate future of the Throne Room, the Gallery and the Hall of Hercules, the most representative rooms of the Palace, but also those in which the signs of time are most evident», confirms the architect Almerinda Padricelli, project Manager. Furthermore, everything is already ready for the next exhibition in the Palace, which from May 31st will collect the objects that were once placed in the rooms and which over the years have been removed for various reasons.

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