Royal Palace of Naples, Intesa Sanpaolo restores the throne

Naples. The “Restitutions” project will allow the restoration of the throne of the Royal Palace.

The works, entrusted to the Conservation and Restoration Centre La Venaria Reale,
will begin next September 12th and will last about a year, a two-year program of restorations of works of art belonging to the Italian cultural heritage, promoted and curated by Intesa Sanpaolo.

Thanks to this project, since 1989, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, works in need of restoration have been identified throughout Italy, supporting interventions in order to recover assets that represent the variety of the Italian historical-artistic heritage, both in chronological terms and in terms of materials and techniques.

The works will be entrusted to the Foundation Center for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage “La Venaria Reale” and will begin in mid-September.

In fact, next Thursday, September 12, the throne will be transported to Turin, where both the wooden part and the upholstery will be restored.

The complex restoration, which will last almost a year, will begin with the creation of a diagnostic plan, supported by radiographic and microscopic investigations, followed by the disinfestation of the wooden part, the consolidation of the structure, the cleaning with material and chromatic integrations, concluding with the dismantling and treatment of the fabrics and trimmings.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace, the throne will be temporarily replaced by the 700th-century seat that belonged to the Bourbons and a monitor will be installed in the room to broadcast videos and clips documenting the restoration and the activities in progress.

Once the restoration is completed, scheduled for late summer 2025, it will be exhibited in the temporary exhibition dedicated to the “Restitutions” project and will return to Naples in February 2026.

The precious Neapolitan-made “armchair” was made around the mid-nineteenth century in carved and gilded wood with crimson velvet upholstery and a metal braid with silk fringes.

On the sides there are two armrests with lion heads; after the unification of Italy the Savoy coat of arms was added on the chest of the eagle placed on top of the backrest. The throne is protected by a canopy in crimson velvet and silver braid, decorated with interwoven ribbons, and rests on a finely decorated carpet.

Mario Epifani, director of the Royal Palace of Naples: “The restoration of the decorations and furnishings of the Royal Palace is an opportunity for us to deepen our knowledge of the palace and its history. In particular, the Throne Room is one of the most representative rooms of the palace, a crucial place for the transmission of symbols and political messages of the various dynasties that took turns on the throne of Naples.

From archive documents and historical photographs we know that the Bourbon throne, built in the mid-nineteenth century on the occasion of the modernization of the palace, was still located at the time of the Kingdom of Italy under a canopy that is now lost, replaced by another that around 1930 was documented in the Quirinale Palace in Rome.

Thanks to Intesa Sanpaolo we can now begin the recovery of the Throne Room, continuing the restoration and revision work of the layout of the Label Apartment underway since 2020, in order to reconstruct as much as possible the appearance that Royal Palace had at the time of the monarchy”.

Michele Coppola, General Manager Gallerie d'Italia Intesa Sanpaolo:
“Since 1989, thanks to Restituzioni, we have been working alongside Italian public institutions to protect and promote the national artistic heritage.

With the conclusion of the twentieth edition, well over 2.000 works will have been brought back to life, including the sumptuous throne of the Royal Palace.

With deep conviction we dedicate ourselves once again to the valorization of the artistic beauties of Naples, a city with which we have built a strong and fertile bond, which has its highest moment in the role and activities of our Gallerie d'Italia.”

Sara Abram, Secretary General of the Conservation and Restoration Center “La Venaria Reale”
“The restoration project is the result of joint work with Palazzo Reale of which we are very proud and which since 2021 has involved the analysis of the state of conservation and risks of the artefacts exhibited along the tour route.

The restorers and diagnosticians of the Conservation and Restoration Centre have supported the reorganisation projects of the Palace in recent years and the throne will be subjected to the analysis and intervention protocol already applied to similar artefacts, such as the throne of the Quirinale Palace, and those coming from the Savoy Residences”.