grain and texture so essential in creating the extraordinarily intricate intar-
sia images. One colored wood stands out as unique among the more com-
monwood colors. It is a green wood, stained by the fungus Chlorociboria
(Blanchette, Wilmering, and Baumeister 1992). The wood is stained in the
forest, when dead trees or branches become infected by this particular fun-
gus. The intarsiatori were quite familiar with this phenomenon, and the
use of green wood can be seen, for example, in some of the inlaid book
covers and in the feathers of the small parrot in the Gubbio studiolo.
In the Gubbio studiolo the intarsiatori assembled the various
matrix sections to form a full- or half-height wall panel. They then nailed
the matrix, sections from the front, to a backing of poplar support panels,
with handwrought nails (Fig. 4). The nails pierced the back of the sup-
port, and their tips were bent over and driven back into the wood. The
intarsiatori then concealed the nail heads with a piece of inlay. In many
instances they predrilled the location for the nails to prevent the wood
from splitting.The conservation treatment of the Gubbio studiolo has proceeded along
two paths. One proved to be a fairly straight lane, while the other is best
described as a rugged trail with narrow passes, fallen trees, and rewarding
scenic views. The straight lane involved preserving the structural integrity
ofthe room, including such work as stabilizing the wall panels and ceiling
construction and consolidating loose inlay and flaking paint. The rugged
trail was more challenging to tread; it involved the aesthetic decisions
necessary to preserve the visual integrity of the extraordinary fifteenth-
century Renaissance room. These aesthetic decisions could be made only
in relation to a virtual mental reference collection of similar intarsia
works, as well as paintings, illuminated manuscripts, drawings and prints,Approach to Conservation
484 Wilmering
Figure 4
Exploded drawing illustrating how the various
matrix sections form half a panel (in this case
panel 7 top). Each matrix section is nailed to
the support panel, and the nails are typically
hidden beneath the intarsia. Each support
panel originally had one or two vertical bat-
tens for strength. Only one original batten
remains, at the bottom of panel 6, the model
for shaping those in the drawing.