Restoration of Raphael's Loggia di Galatea Begins in Rome

The restoration of Raphael's Loggia di Galatea at Villa Farnesina in Rome has been inaugurated, funded by Italy's Mibact with a budget of €300,000. The project, coordinated by the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (ICR) and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, aims to recover the original appearance of the loggia, which features frescoes by Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Baldassarre Peruzzi. The restoration builds on a history of collaborations between ICR and the Lincei since the 1950s, including previous interventions on the Triumph of Galatea (1963-1981) and other rooms. The current work is supervised by the Villa Farnesina Commission and conservator Virginia Lapenta, coordinated by ICR architect Giorgio Sobrà, and involves the ICR's School of High Training. A notable discovery from past restorations is Raphael's extensive use of Egyptian blue, a synthetic pigment thought lost for centuries, indicating his deliberate revival of ancient materials for mythological subjects. A streaming seminar on February 25, 2021, will discuss this pigment, featuring speakers including Antonio Sgamellotti, Virginia Lapenta, Christian Greco, Carlo Rescigno, Massimo Osanna, and Alessandro Zuccari. The restoration also serves attributive and research purposes, aiming to generate new hypotheses about the site.