Resources & Recommendations #7
to listen
In The Studio: On Antique & Replica Frames
As part of Nicolas Hall’s ‘In the Studio’ series Yuan Fang discusses the art of framing and its more practical considerations with Paul Mitchell. Mitchell is a connoisseur of European historic frames - a niche he carved out over the last 50 years. The discussion ranges from the likelihood of finding old master paintings in their original frame, the difference between fakes and replicas, and the rumoured use of bicycle chains to tone down the gold.
to watch
Podcast with Donatella Fratini on Zuccari & Dante's Divine Comedy
Dr Donatella Fratini, curator of the Uffizi Museum's 2021 online exhibition of illustrations of the Divine Comedy by Federico Zuccari, talks to Nicola Jennings about Dante's great poem and the stories represented in some of the drawings. Introduced in English by Jennings and explained in Italian with English subtitles by Fratini, the discussion covers the remarkable group in depth and takes the viewer back to the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death.
to read
Maria de Peverelli, curator and collections manager at Holkham Hall, recounts the story of the recent restoration of a pastel by Rosalba Carriera. For many years the portrait had been deemed irreparable due to its significant damage, marked by cracks and losses, which were compounded by a historic restoration attempt where a heavy paper was affixed to the primary sheet’s verso. The conservator Deborah Bates was consulted in the Summer of 2023, and the ambitious project was embarked upon.
