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| Hall of Mirrors at the Versailles palace approved by ISC  The International Scientific Council met at the restoration worksite in the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles and unanimously approved the way the restoration of the painted and sculpted décor had been completed. The restorers will now be tackling the last stage of the restoration process, varnishing, applying a final protective layer to the Le Brun paintings following their pictorial reintegration. Restoration of the 1,100 sq. metres of marble, too, is almost complete. A microcrystalline wax is currently being applied and polished up, in order to restore the hall's range of different marbles to their original lustre. Once the scaffolding has been removed, mirror expert Vincent Guerre and the bronze specialists from Socra (a Vinci Group company) will be able to make the final adjustments to the mirror supports it had previously rendered inaccessible.The last two months of the restoration project will be devoted to installing the lighting. SDEL Artec (a Vinci Energies subsidiary) has devised a special lighting strategy for the Hall of Mirrors, aimed at displaying its artistic features to best advantage. New light sources will set off the paintings on the vaulted ceiling, in places gently smoothing over the inevitable effects of time. This first comprehensive restoration of the Hall of Mirrors began in July 2004. Vinci, a Major Partner of the French Ministry of Culture, has undertaken to finance the works – valued at 12 million euros – and has made available to the project the expertise of its companies specialising in the restoration of historic buildings. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Construction News :: home page |