14 The painting’s planks measure, starting from the left of the painted surface: 50.5, 47.5, 45, 50,
47.5, and 36 cm.
15 The floating tenon is a rectangular element of hardwood, often walnut; it works as a connec-
tion and reference point between the planks during gluing of the joins. Floating tenons are
inserted in the housings without being glued and are held in place with one or two dowels per
side inserted into the thickness of the planks. A wooden peg also has the same function,
although it has a circular section.
16 For crossbar removal, the painting was laid flat on a wooden grill. With a portable circular
saw, the crossbars were cut longitudinally from below through the entire thickness without
damage to the support.
17 As described in the previous intervention, this method attempts to prevent the creation of
fracture lines by the positioning of small blocks of the same type of wood, united together
and staggered along the length.
18 First, blocks are inserted to four-fifths of the depth of the track in the orig inal support. After
the glue has dried, the upper face of the blocks is planed, a procedure that widens the track
about 1–1.5 cm in the longitudinal direction of the wood fibers. Thus, the block applied to
complete the plane with the support will be adhered to the surface of the panel in the direc-
tion of the fibers.
19 This method requires the planing of the edges by a slight angling of the utensil toward the
back without its touching the paint edge. With such a system, the reunited planks create a
V-shaped space to receive the wedge-shaped block.
20 The wedge, the central element of this operation, must follow specific criteria: wood selec-
tion, grain orientation, and leveling of the edges of the painted surface. Adjustment of the
wedge in the housing is carried out in the traditional manner.
21 The term “traditional method” here refers to the opening of V-shaped tracks with a chisel,
correcting the edges, straightening the faces, and adjusting the wedge in the V-shaped track.Secco Suardo, Giovanni
Reference 1866 Il restauratore dei dipinti.340 Castelli