Description: |
As many of the chemistry instruments – flasks, retorts, bottles, etc. – that belonged to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Peter Leopold of Hapsburg-Lorraine (1747-1792) were seriously damaged by the 1966 flooding of Florence, and several remained in a poor state of conservation, Daniele Angellotto of Experia S.r.l. in Florence has been entrusted with their cleaning and restoration and, where necessary, to patiently reconstruct minute fragments. The restoration project was begun in January and is destined to last for an entire year; thanks to a special agreement, it also involves the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Semiprecious Stone Works). Giancarlo Lanterna will perform a chemical analysis of the substances still present in many glass vessels, even in minimal amounts. The Archaeological Survey of Tuscany will also attempt to analyse the sections and fracture lines of several broken instruments. In particular, Giuseppe Venturini proposes to gather information on the methods of manufacture employed by glassmakers of the time. |
