Restoration of the Zonghi Album for the Fedrigoni Fabriano Foundation

PHOTO AND VIDEO GALLERIES OF THE RESTORATION INTERVENTION

Stefania Zeppieri | Conservazione e Restauro Beni Librari, Archivistici, Opere d'Arte su carta e manufatti Affini | Restauro Album Ruggero Zonghi Fondazione Fabriano

Notes about the restoration project

The restoration of “The Signs of the Ancient Fabrianese Paper Mills”, collected and outlined by Professor Augusto Zonghi, and of the 10 folders of the Fabrianese filigree collection was a truly stimulating project.

Arriving in a place almost out of time, incredible and wonderful. Hear only the loud sound of the water of the Giano river, water with which the most famous paper in the world has always been made, that of the ancient Fabriano paper mills. This little corner of paradise is home to the prestigious Fedrigoni Fabriano Foundation which preserves the historical memory of the ancient paper mills: watermarks, documents, shapes, tools, etc.

One of the most precious artefacts preserved here is the volume entitled “The Signs of the Ancient Fabrianesi Paper Mills” collected and outlined by Professor Augusto Zonghi, now restored and exhibited in an air-conditioned display case, visible to visitors and to scholars. The binding of the volume was carried out by the award-winning bookbinding of Gualtiero Federici of Pesaro and was probably carried out close to the realization of the tables, outlined by the Fabriano filigranologist Augusto Zonghi.

The plates represent a selection of watermarks reproduced by tracing following the study of over 3000 copies of papers examined by Zonghi and recorded in an extremely detailed handwritten inventory. The title page of the volume was preciously illuminated by the artist and set designer Gaetano Galassi of Fermo (1858-1930) – On the death of Zonghi in 1916, the collection passed to the Colombo-Baravelli family from Fabriano, together with 10 folders containing watermarked papers and collected card samples by the scholar, which were kept in a recently restored wooden box. Fundamental reference for the history of paper studies, the collection has been recognized since 1951 as “particular historical and cultural interest” and “exceptional national and international interest“.

The Gianfranco Fedrigoni Institute of Paper History, today Fedrigoni Fabriano Foundation, acquired it in 2016 and thanks to the digital reproduction of the cards it will allow its online dissemination and integration within the “Bernstein – The Memory of Papers” project.

The restoration of the volume and the safety of the folders and papers contained therein was carried out within the Foundation. A heartfelt thanks goes to the people who work there every day with passion, who shared the spaces with me and who enriched my knowledge of the history of filigree with their professionalism and competence.

This work has confirmed to me even more how important it is in the restoration work to preserve every small mark, every small trace on the paper and above all of how a watermark, even slightly modified by pressure or any overly invasive operation, is irreversibly lost. I will convey this experience to my students.

The presentation of the restoration work and the first reissue of the Zonghi Album took place in Fabriano on 24 October 2021. In addition to the photo galleries documenting the restoration work, I also share a video created by the Fedrigoni Fabriano Foundation for the presentation of the restoration work of the Zonghi Album, and another video relating to the current project’s presentation event.