In April 2018, decorations of the ceilings and bevels of the Garden Galleries of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, among them extremely valuable plafond paintings by Florentine artist Michelangelo Palloni, almost completely disappeared under special constructions. They secure the decorations throughout the duration of the conservation and renovation works carried out on the upper floors of the palace. This is a standard procedure to protect the most vulnerable elements of the historic decoration of the palace before commencing works necessary to maintain the palace in good condition.
This state will last until the end of 2019, in connection with the implementation of the “Restoration and protection of the symbol of the Polish cultural heritage – the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów” project. Unfortunately, it is connected with difficulties on the sightseeing routes and lack of access to some areas of the building. While Palloni’s paintings can be seen above the safety nets, the surrounding bas-reliefs and stuccowork have been completely covered with wooden board constructions.
However, the condition of the historic decoration of the gallery must be monitored at all times. Conservators use mobile scaffolding to observe frescoes and bas-reliefs in selected places, revealing them in fragments, and sensors mounted on ceilings and walls enable continuous control of thermal and humidity conditions above the wooden structures.
Photography by E. Modzelewska
