The Pinacoteca civica di Como and the Associazione 6 del 66 Como have signed an important collaboration agreement for the restoration of the painting “Portrait of Attendolo Sforza”, a sixteenth-century work belonging to the series of portraits of Illustrious Men by Paolo Giovio. The agreement was signed following the public notice for the evaluation of collaboration proposals aimed at valorising the mobile cultural heritage present in museums and libraries, promoted by the Culture and Museums sector of the Municipality of Como, with the aim of activating collaboration agreements with subjects who can contribute to the best valorisation of the civic cultural heritage, involving free forms of association and volunteering, as foreseen by the art. 10 of the municipal statute.
The “Portrait of Attendolo Sforza”: the story
The painting, by an unknown artist, portrays the mercenary captain Attendolo Sforza, progenitor of the house that dominated the duchy of Milan for almost a century until 1535. The portrait shows the leader at a young age with a nose of considerable length with a thin tip and facing upwards. The work came to the Pinacoteca from the Rovelli collection where it was found as a result of Luigi Rovelli’s testimony in 1928 in his work on Paolo Giovio and was received by his bequest at the Garibaldi Museum in Como in 1966 in rather precarious conservation conditions such as to make it impossible to attribution hypothesis. The work, which due to its precarious state of conservation has always remained in museum storage, will now be able, thanks to the contribution of Association 6 of 66, to return to its former glory.
This is a very special work: it is in fact a tempera on paper mounted on canvas, a technique rarely used at the time and therefore still little known and studied: for this reason diagnostic investigations and scientific studies are underway, in collaboration with the course in Analytical Chemistry of Cultural Heritage at the University of Insubria in Como, which may reveal further information. The restoration, precisely because of its particularity and complexity, involves the involvement of various professionals, including a restorer specialized in works on paper who will intervene on the pictorial surface, as well as an intervention on the frame. The initiative is a further step towards the full use and valorisation of the Jovian collection, which began in 2021 and which – to date – has made it possible to restore and recover almost all the works.
In fact, the Civic Art Gallery of Como preserves thirty-eight original paintings from the sixteenth-century collection of portraits of Illustrious Men by Paolo Giovio, an important picture gallery for Como because it is here that the modern concept of the museum was born, understood as a place to collect, conserve and exhibit artwork. Only part of the portraits are visible to the public, while the others have never been exhibited due to the delicate conservation conditions which forced them to be placed in storage. From 2021 to today, almost the entire collection has been recovered thanks to a massive restoration campaign, which employed internal and external forces, including the Art Bonus initiative, partnerships with restoration schools, the availability of Associations, Clubs and Local bodies or Italian and foreign museums in the context of loans and exchanges with the Art Gallery.
“A dutiful action in favor of the community”
“The complete recovery of the Giovian collection is a necessary action in favor of the community to preserve the assets over time by expanding knowledge and valorisation through the many stories related to it – he states Veronica Vittanihead of the Civic Museums and curator of the Pinacoteca di Como – Carrying forward this path together with the realities of the territory, such as the Association 6 of 66 Como, strengthens its ‘common sense’ and represents a tangible sign of affection towards the heritage of the city”.
“The charisma of the CoMmUnity project, which envisages the urban regeneration of the Civic Museums of Como, is precisely that of putting the Community back at the center of the museum heritage, seen not only as a user but as the first custodian and promoter of a broader valorization process – he claims Enrico Colombo, Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Como. When I launched the project “Being and Growing, Como UNESCO Creative City” I aimed to make the Como community increasingly aware of the importance and richness of our heritage; an identity journey of awareness of one’s history aimed at implementing those actions necessary to make our reality grow. The boys and girls of ’66 from the La Stecca di Como Association have shown an affection for their city that goes beyond any human experience”.
“As stated in the statute of the La Stecca Association, of which Class 6 of ’66 is part – declare the president Giorgio Selis and the Golden Rose Alessandra Lucini – one of our missions is precisely to “promote solidarity and social and cultural growth”. This is how, thanks to the contribution of many people from Como who participated in our guided tours to discover Como and the fantastic “Dinner of the Stars” at the Serra del Grumello, we managed to raise the funds necessary for the restoration; Our thanks therefore go to all of them. As we have underlined several times, it is important that the community feels involved and takes care of the heritage and ‘beauty’ we have in our city. So thank you all. We are waiting for you in the Pinacoteca!”.
