The Theatro Farnese
The Teatro Farnese was commissioned by Duke Ranuccio I Farnese and built between 1617 and 1618 within the Palazzo della Pilotta in Parma, based on a design by Giovanni Battista Aleotti. It is one of the earliest and most important examples of a permanent court theatre in Europe and is considered a masterpiece of seventeenth-century theatrical architecture.
Built primarily of wood and enriched with painted and sculpted decorations, the theatre was conceived as a grand setting for court festivities and performances. During the Second World War, on 13 May 1944, it suffered severe damage as a result of Allied bombing. In the post-war period, a major reconstruction campaign enabled its recovery, while many decorative elements survived only in fragmentary condition.
The Restoration Project
The project concerns the conservation and restoration of six monumental polychrome sculptures belonging to the decorative programme of the Teatro Farnese.
The intervention includes the conservation of four sculptures previously restored in the 1970s and the restoration of two sculptures that remained damaged following the 1944 bombing. Alongside the conservation treatment, the project includes the digital documentation and enhancement of the artworks through three-dimensional recording and their virtual relocation within the theatre.
The aim is to preserve these important decorative elements, improve their legibility within their original architectural context, and make their history, condition and conservation treatment more accessible through digital tools and a new museum display.
The restoration is carried out by Zichichi & Russo Conservazione e Restauro under the coordination of Paola Potenza and the supervision of the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta.
Press Review
- Bell’Italia „The Teatro Farnese“ September 2025.
- Artribune „Conservation and Innovation at the Teatro Farnese in Parma: Six Masterpieces of European Baroque Sculpture Rediscover the Light“ https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/2025/07/teatro-farnese-parma-sculture/
- Finestre sull’Arte „Parma: Restoration of Six Important Baroque Statues at Teatro Farnese Begins“ https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/ancient-art/parma-restoration-of-six-important-baroque-statues-at-teatro-farnese-begins
- ANSA „Restored 17th-Century Sculptures at the Teatro Farnese in Parma“
25 June 2025. https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/arte/2025/06/25/restaurate-sculture-del-600-al-teatro-farnese-di-parma_06ce6b9a-a02f-47e1-9b12-f4ba880c86d8.html - Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta „Presentation of the Restoration Project of Six Sculptures at the Teatro Farnese“
27 June 2025. https://complessopilotta.it/2025/06/27/presentato-il-progetto-di-restauro-di-sei-sculture-del-teatro-farnese/ - Gazzetta di Parma „Restored 17th-Century Sculptures at the Teatro Farnese in Parma“ (video) 2025. http://gazzettadiparma.it/arte-e-cultura/2025/06/25/video/restaurate-sculture-del-600-al-teatro-farnese-di-parma-video-875101/
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