Restorer Ottorino Nonfarmale dies at unknown age

Ottorino Nonfarmale, a pioneering Italian restorer, has died. Born in Mantua and based in Bologna, he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti under Arturo Raffaldini. From the 1950s, he worked on major masterpieces during the early days of restoration as a profession. He was the first to treat stone works as restoration, notably on the facade of San Petronio in Bologna. His career spanned works by Carracci, Tiziano, Tiepolo, Mantegna, Raffaello, and monuments like St. Mark's Basilica in Venice and Chartres Cathedral. He taught at the Accademia di Bologna, forming many restorers. He discovered Paolo Veronese's self-portrait under overpainting at age 28. He was a close friend of art historian Andrea Emiliani, with whom he spent Sundays in the lab. He is survived by his wife Lucia and grandchildren, predeceased by his son Luca.