Pinin Brambilla is one of the most renowned Italian art restorers and for his greatest achievement was awarded with a prestigious Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His greatest accomplishment was his completion of the restoration of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, the most important artwork in Italy. The task of restoring this painting had been unsuccessfully attempted by many other restorers before, so it was a spectacular feat that Brambilla finally accomplished.
Pinin Brambilla Barcilon is an Italian art restorer born in 1925 in the city of Monza, who died at the age of 95 in December 2020. She is recognized for her work on the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci’s artwork “The Last Supper”, located in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.
She was a renowned restorer of very important works of art.
Brambilla Barcilon pursued a long career in art restoration and worked on numerous important works all over the world. In addition to her work on Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, she was also involved in the restoration of works by other Italian artists such as Raffaello Sanzio and Piero della Francesca.
His work was widely praised by the international community of art restorers and received UNESCO recognition in 1999. Since then, Brambilla Barcilon continued to work on the conservation of works of art of great artistic value in Italy and around the world, contributing to the preservation of our cultural heritage for future generations.
Restorations made to “The Last Supper”.
“The Last Supper” is one of the most famous works of art in the world. That is why the restoration of this painting has been of great interest over the years. Leonardo da Vinci created the work between 1495 and 1498 and it is located in Italy. The public visits it in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.
The first major restoration of “The Last Supper” took place in the 18th century, when Giuseppe Mazza worked on the conservation of the work. In 1901, Luigi Cavenaghi restored the painting again, using techniques now considered obsolete. In 1943, during World War II, the refectory was badly damaged and so was Leonardo’s painting.
After the war, a new restoration was begun, this time by Pietro Marani. Marani. He employed a technique of cleaning the paint surface by applying mild solvents. In addition, he replaced areas of the paint that were damaged or missing.
Pinin Brambilla’s restoration
The last restoration of “The Last Supper” was executed in 1999, by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon. She dedicated more than 20 years of her life to this work. She intervened, each time, small sectors, no more than 5 cm on a side. She used the most advanced techniques for the cleaning and restoration of the painting.
It was a long and delicate process that required a great deal of technical knowledge and a deep understanding of art history. Brambilla Barcilon used a wide variety of tools, including laser technology to clean the surface of the work and remove dirt accumulated over centuries.
Barcilon also worked to stabilize the painting, as there had been significant pigment loss in several areas of the work. And he restored the original expression of their faces, both Jesus and the apostles.
The Last Supper is a very valuable work of art valued by generations of viewers, and its preservation is crucial for the future. The goal is to ensure that the work is in the best possible condition for future generations to admire.
