The Painted Silk Panels of Palazzo Barberini at Rome. The Scientific Investigation and Preservation Challenge

This paper reports the study carried out on the 18th century painted silk panels that cover the walls of the so called Salotto delle sete dipinte in Palazzo Barberini at Rome on the occasion of the conservation work started in 2007. Microscope and spectroscopy investigations were performed in order to study the materials and the realization techniques of the painted silk panels and to evaluate the conservation conditions. Moreover ageing tests were performed in order to evaluate the stability of the consolidant/protective product used for the silk panels.