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Five-year course for Restorer

Five-year course for restorer

This course is a professional qualification which is equivalent to the LMR / 02 master’s degree. It provides 300 total credits divided into 30 modules. Over 50% of the activities are carried out in laboratories and restoration sites, working on cultural heritage subject to protection; the total number of hours dedicated to technical restoration activities is 3660. The plan includes three periods of training internship at prestigious and relevant locations in the national and international sector.

The technical-educational activities of the PFP1 sector, among the first established in the mid-1970s, carry out conservation and restoration interventions of wall paintings, frescoes and decorated surfaces, as well as natural and artificial lithoid materials (stones).

The restorer with a PFP1 degree works both on the restoration site and in equipped laboratories.

This path prepares for the restoration of the art works through the knowledge of practical techniques, study of the state of conservation of art works, recognition of materials, physical-environmental and structural characteristics, causes of decay, techniques and conservation interventions.

During the III, IV and V years, medium and large companies offer internships, located mainly throughout the national territory, with particular regard to sites of artistic importance and / or places where emergencies occur and / or particular student preferences.

For each year the following materials will be addressed.
(The fifth year is dedicated to the degree thesis.)

  • Natural stone and lithoid products
  • ‘Manufatti Plastici’ in plaster and terracotta
  • Artificial stone artefacts – decorated surfaces
  • Mosaic realisation – marble sculptures
  • Mural paintings

 

Laboratory

Decorated surfaces of architecture and lithoid materials.

The practical activities of the sector, started in 1975, carry out conservation and restoration interventions of wall paintings: frescoes and decorated surfaces as well as natural and artificial lithoid materials: artefacts in marble, stone, plaster, terracotta…. The conservation and restoration activity is carried out on art works protected as cultural assets starting from a careful analysis of the physical and environmental characteristics. The interventions are carried out both at restoration sites and in equipped laboratories.

The PFP2 sector deals with the restoration, conservation and maintenance of paintings on: wood, canvas, furniture and wooden structures. In addition is the very interesting area of the restoration of contemporary works.

The practical activities related to paintings on wood start with the analysis of the constitutive aspects of the work, the study of materials, causes of decay and new materials for the conservation of wooden works (including large structures in polychrome wood, works of religious significance, etc.).

The practical activities related to ancient paintings on canvas concern the restoration of work of different sizes and types. The restoration project involves the use of traditional or modern and innovative materials and techniques depending on the deterioration and characteristics of the art work.

The academic activities on contemporary art works were started by the school as early as the 80s with a particular focus on ageing of art works created in the twentieth century. The path starts with the study of the different materials that can make up a contemporary work (acrylic colours, plastics, rubber, plasticine, polystyrene, glass …)

After a long period of study, students and restorers carry out interdisciplinary interventions (since the materials are different) and often innovative and unusual. Characteristic of the course is the phase of experimentation and research on innovative materials and methods.
During the III, IV and V years, internships are in small, medium and large companies located in the national and international territory.

For each formative year the following materials will be addressed.
The fifth year is dedicated to the degree thesis.

  • Paintings on wooden frames
  • Wooden and altar sculptures
  • Furniture and wooden structures
  • Paintings on textile media
  • Multi-material and contemporary artefacts

 

Laboratories

Wooden sculptures and panel paintings

The practical activities relating to the wooden works sector are carried out starting from the analysis of the construction aspects of the work as well the support and the more superficial finishes, through to the technological study of the constituent materials, in order to then be able to carry out targeted conservation and restoration interventions on works protected as cultural assets. The laboratories of the sector have been active in the school since 1979 and develop practical skills related to painted wooden artefacts, such as wood sculptures, panel paintings, apparatus, altars, and wooden furnishings. Furthermore, research is carried out on the framework of paintings on wood and on anti-seismic methods for the reassembly of altar structures.

Paintings on canvas

The practical activities of painting on textile media include the conservation and restoration of works of different sizes and types. Starting from the study of manual techniques and the constituent materials of the work, a restoration project is carried out which may involve the use of traditional or modern and innovative materials and techniques depending on the type of deterioration and the characteristics of the work. To support the activity of the laboratories in the conservation and restoration of paintings on canvas sector, established in 1976, the school can make use of technologically advanced instruments including the low pressure hot table that allows the non-invasive realisation of smoothing actions of deformed media.

Contemporary multi-material works

The practical activities of the sector were established at the School in 1987 to respond to the request for professionalism for the restoration of contemporary works, a need that has grown in recent decades, linked to the deterioration of art works created in the twentieth century. Particular attention is paid to the constituent materials of contemporary works, often multi-material – for example, acrylic colours, plastics, rubber, plasticine, polystyrene … – whose restoration allows students to carry out inductive teaching by designing and carrying out interdisciplinary and unusual interventions due to unknown problems, materials and manufacturing techniques.

The PFP3 sector deals with the restoration, conservation and maintenance of ancient textiles: tapestries, fabrics and carpets. These are joined by the restoration of leather and ethno-anthropological materials..

The training course is a preparation the restoration art works through the knowledge of the executive techniques, the recognition of the materials, the study of the state of conservation of the art work in order to prepare the best method of intervention, bringing the artefacts back to their original state. This laboratory experience is accompanied by scientific and analytical research that supports and justifies the operational choices. During the third, fourth and fifth years, internships are in small and medium-sized companies and in public and private institutions of national and international importance.

For each year the following materials will be addressed.
(The fifth year is dedicated to the degree thesis.)

  • Textile products: Tapestries
  • Textile products: Fabrics
  • Textile products: Carpets
  • Leather Products

 

Laboratory

Ancient tapestries and textiles

The practical restoration activities in the sector are carried out on textile works of various kinds: tapestries and carpets, sacred vestments, flags and other ancient textile artefacts, art work belonging to the cultural heritage of public bodies, religious communities and private individuals. The workshop was established in the school in 1999, specialising in tapestries and carpets, subsequently supplemented by the inclusion of ancient fabrics, a choice made in order to offer students an increasingly complete preparation in the reference material field and therefore offering greater professional opportunities.

Contents

  • Chemistry / Physics / Biology / Biotechnology.
  • Science and technology for conservation and restoration / Science and technology of materials / Diagnostics / Environmental monitoring.
  • History of artistic techniques / History of art / History and theory of restoration.
  • Project planning and methodologies for conservation and restoration.
  • Restoration workshops and yards.
  • Legislation and security.
  • Thesis laboratory.
STUDY PLAN (attached)
TEACHING REGULATIONS (attached)
THESIS REGULATION (attached)
STAGE BOTTICINO (attached)

Course details

 

ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must be in possession of:

  • a five-year diploma (or four-year plus one additional year) of Higher Secondary Education,
  • a declaration of good psycho-physical health, with reference to the activities that the path involves
ADMISSION TESTS

Access to the course takes place through a selection of technical and theoretical aptitude test.
The tests are aimed at ascertaining knowledge, skills and adequate operational aptitudes to successfully support the training course.

 

ADMISSION TEST CALENDAR

There are two alternative test sessions *:

  • May 31 and June 1, 2022 (register here);
  • 13 and 14 July 2022 (register here);
  • September 2022 (this session will be held based on the availability of places). * The duration of the tests may vary according to the number of participants

 

RECOGNITION OF CREDITS

Any recognition of incoming credits from other courses will be carried out by a special Commission appointed by the Director of the School on the basis of the documentation submitted by the student, the assessments and any checks carried out. Equivalent training activities consistent with the specific PFP are admitted for recognition, therefore the teaching programs and laboratory activities developed will be promptly examined, with respect to both the phases and the objects of the interventions.
However, candidates must take and pass the admission tests provided for the five-year course for Restorers of cultural heritage.
The School has prepared a special form for the request for recognition – downloadable here – which must contain the data of the applicant, the PFP of reference, the name of the path and of the provider as well as the description of the individual exams / training activities covered by the request, for the evaluation of recognisable credits it is essential to indicate the amount of attendance.
The summary sheet must be accompanied by the relevant certifying documents issued by the provider of the course and the detailed programs that must specify, in particular for the laboratories, the activities carried out and the object of intervention.
The completed and signed credit recognition request form must be sent to the school secretariat before the start of the course by scanning at botticino@enaiplombardia.it. For the delivery of the original and the attached documents, it is advisable to contact the secretariat to define the appropriate methods. In the event that some of the attestation documents, issued by the providers, are not immediately available, they can be delivered later.

 

COURSES CALENDAR

The first year will start in October 2022 and will end July 31 2023.

 

 

2022 OPEN DAY CALENDAR

Discover the Botticino School of Restoration!

Take part in our Open Day to get to know, in detail, the five-year course of Restorer of Cultural Heritage of the Botticino School promoted by Valore Italia.

The Open Day will take place in the presence of the Milan office of Valore Italia in via Bernardino Luini 5, on Wednesday 4 May from 2.30 pm.

You can register following this link.

 

PREPARATORY TESTS

To facilitate an informed choice and in preparation for the admission tests to the courses for Restorer, candidates are strongly advised to attend the preparatory tests.
This meeting is a valuable opportunity to experience a simulation of the admission tests together with the teachers of the School, acquiring the necessary skills to pass.
This meeting aims to facilitate an informed choice through knowledge of the problems, professional figures, training courses, as well as verifying one’s attitudes with respect to the main operational skills.

 

PREPARATORY TEST CALENDAR

There are two alternative orientation sessions:

  • 20 and 21 May 2022
  • September 2022

You can register for the preparatory tests in May at this link.

The preparatory tests consist of the following:

  • Presentation of the conservation and restoration sector, the professionals who work there and of the training courses
  • Introduction to the methodological and technical, historical-artistic and scientific aspects of restoration – Technical exercises in simulation of scalpel removal, pictorial reintegration, graphic relief and possible weaving, relative to the three courses
  • Final interview and in-depth analysis of the exercises carried out

 

Attendance is highly recommended as a self-assessment since it will help the candidate to decide if the course is a suitable choice for those who intend to enrol in the course for Restorer of Cultural Heritage and preparation for those who intend to take the entrance exams for courses for Restorer of Cultural Heritage.