Atelier Jaune de Naples

Conservation & restoration of cultural heritage

Preventive conservation

Milena Ciociola
Certified restorer for museums of France and historical monuments.

Consultant in preventive conservation.
Master craftsman of art.

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Specialized in conservation-restoration of cultural heritage,

with an experience of more than 20 years,

In Italy and France, I interacting with competence and rigor on:

paintings

tibetain Thangkas

murals

Polychrome and gold objects

My interventions are based on a preliminary study, condition reports and an accurate diagnosis, including scientific examinations, in order to guarantee treatments adapted to each work.

Preliminary study

The preliminary study is an in-depth analysis of a work before any restoration intervention. It includes historical, technical and scientific studies to better understand the work in its entirety, to assess the causes of alterations and develop an appropriate intervention protocol.

For example:

- The preliminary study must include a status report, a diagnosis, and a definition of objectives and recommendations.

Curative conservation

Curative conservation includes all direct interventions on a cultural asset aimed at stopping or slowing down an ongoing degradation process. These actions are necessary when the work is threatened and intervention is then essential to prevent its deterioration.

For example:

- Refixing the lifting of the pictorial layer with a suitable adhesive to prevent it from detaching.

- Treatment of a painting attacked by mold or insects (e.g. anoxic treatment against wood borers).

- Consolidation of a fabric weakened by the oxidation of the fibers or by excessive tension in the frame.

condition report

The condition report is a detailed and objective observation of the material state of a work at a given moment. It allows the identification of visible alterations (cracks, uplifts, gaps, fouling, mold, etc.) without interpretation or in-depth analysis.

For example:

- Identify the state of conservation of a work before a restoration campaign.

- Certify the initial condition before transport, loan, or exposure to avoid litigation in case of degradation.

Restoration

The restoration consists of a direct intervention on a work of art that has undergone alterations, with the aim of regaining an aesthetic and historical legibility while respecting its material integrity.

For example:

- Lightening of an oxidized varnish to restore the paint to its original shine.

- Filling and retouching of a gap due to shock or tear.

- Pictorial reintegration of a damaged area according to different methods (e.g. tratteggio or illusionistic retouching).

- Thread by thread on a torn canvas so that it regains its structural integrity.

methods of examination

Examination methods allow for in-depth analysis of works, and reveal what the eye does not perceive, in order to better understand the factors of alteration before any intervention.

For example:

- Binocular magnifier: for precise examination of details and microscopic alterations.

- UV light: to detect old restorations, oxidized varnishes or hidden repainting.

- Infrared imaging: to observe the underlying drawings, previous restorations and modifications.

Preventive conservation

Preventive conservation includes all measures aimed at avoiding or minimizing the deterioration of cultural property without direct intervention on the object. It includes the management of environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, light), control of spoilage agents (pollutants, insects, handling.

For example:

- Framing a painting with UV protection glass to limit the degradation of light-sensitive pigments.

- Control of spoilage agents (pollutants, insects, improper handling).

- Adoption of good storage, exhibition and transport practices.

Contact me for an expertise or a personalized study.

Free quote without commitment.

Possibility of travel by appointment.

Gallery

PROJETS

HISTOIRE

History

The Naples yellow is a pigment that was certainly known as an artificial pigment in ancient times, in glassware, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. It owes its name to Andrea Pozzo, painter of the Baroc Italian , that in his treatise, dating from 1693-1700, mentions the "Lutéolum Napolitanum" as a bright yellow, natural, found near Vesuvius.

I chose to name my Atelier Jaune de Naples (naples yellow) to express my passion for art and restoration as well as the love for my Neapolitan roots.

Biography

I am a curator/restorer of cultural assets, graduated from the Master’s program: Conservation-restoration of cultural assets, methodology and practice of conservation-restoration, specializing in painting (CRBC) - Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne (Obtained as part of a VAE process).

Thesis: "Study, conservation and restoration of a painting by Marguerite Jeanne Carpentier. Reflections on the theory and methodology of the pictorial reintegration of extended gaps».

I am also a consultant in preventive conservation, graduated from the Master’s program: Conservation-restoration of cultural assets, Preventive heritage conservation (C2P), Paris 1 Panthéon La Sorbonne.

Thesis: "Plan for the Safeguarding of Cultural heritage in Restoration Workshops. Assessment of major risks, field investigation and development of a SPECIFIC support guide for conservators.

I am accredited by the Musées de France and Monuments Historiques, and a member of the French Federation of Professionals in Conservation-Restoration (FFCR), ICOM, APrévU, and Blue Shield France.

I was initially trained in Italy, in the 2000s, in the conservation and restoration of paintings and murals, where I worked for a few years, but I have been living in France since 2007.

After a parenthesis about being an employed restorer at Versailles, from 2010 I am self-employed and restore works of art for my own clientele in Paris: private and public.

Since 2012 I am also interested in the restoration of Tibetan paintings and I collaborate with Marion Boyer, specialist in the restoration of thangkas.

I left for North India in 2012 and 2015 to collaborate on "The Matho Museum Project" by Nelly Rieuf, for the construction and opening of a museum in the monastery of Matho in Ladakh.

I opened the Atelier Jaune in Naples in 2015.

In 2019 I obtained the title of Master craftsman of art awarded by the chamber of trades of Paris.

Thanks to all these years of experience, I master the various aspects of my profession as well as the different restoration techniques.

Over the years, I have had the honor of restoring works by important masters such as Parmigianino, Sasso Ferrato, Bernardo Strozzi, Winterhalter, Corot, Fromentin, Cassandre, Picabia, Buffet, Tobiasse, Poliakoff and others.

Always interested in learning new techniques, I participate in various training and professional internships, notably at INP, ARAAFU, and other French and European institutions.

Workshop equipment:

Professional equipment:

Easels, solvent cabinets, LED daylight lamps, UV lamps, binocular magnifier, digital microscope, infrared camera, art storage shelves, lining iron, heating spatulas, small tools.

Security equipment:

Armored front door, alarm connected to a remote monitoring system, metal shutters on the windows, metal and electric curtain at the store entrance, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors.

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S.D.

"Very happy with the result of the restoration of our two paintings. highly appreciated work and a real pleasure to rediscover the paintings thus highlighted in their original state"

J.H.

"Very beautiful site and especially restoration work that allows to better appreciate the work of the painter who is often hidden under thick layers of varnish and dust. Thank you for the 3 restored paintings"

G.B.

"I had a large Flemish still life from the 17th century, all dark and sad to look at. Fortunately, Milena restored it. It worked so well that I now have a luminous painting that I never tire of contemplating"

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