In 2019-2020, 20 drawings were restored with funding from the Mary Ryan and John H. Wilson II Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation, in memory of the artists Robert Willson and Margaret Pace Willson, who worked annually in Venice.

The 2025 conservation of 23 additional drawings is generously sponsored by The Save Venice Boston Chapter in memory of Dr. Warren Ilchman.

Pietro Longhi’s much-loved paintings give us an eyewitness view of life in Venice, a genre he developed as his talents were unsuited for grand historical and religious cycles. The Museo Correr has an important collection of Pietro Longhi drawings that complements the collection of paintings in the Ca’ Rezzonico Museum. Longhi drew primarily with charcoal and soft pencil on rough yellow paper, and used white chalk for highlighting. He taught drawing and founded an academy of drawing and engraving; his works on paper are valuable examples of the artist’s working methods. Some of the drawings are accompanied by notes about colors, materials, and costumes, underscoring their purpose as preparatory drawings for his paintings.

There are 165 Longhi drawings in the collection of the Museo Correr, which were purchased by the museum’s founder, Teodoro Correr, directly from Longhi’s son, Alessandro.

The drawings had tears and losses, as well as glue marks and water stains. The sheets were cleaned first with dry methods in order to determine the stability of the graphic media and the ink of the stamps. Following the completion of the cleaning processes, tears were repaired and the old mounts were eliminated in order to retain the original tension of the paper. The drawings were then placed in passe-partouts (framing mats) with inserts of light conservation paper for protection.

From February 14, 2020 through May 18, 2024, Peitro Longhi’s drawings were on view at the Ca’ Rezzonico Museum in the exhibition Drawn From Life. Tiepolo, Longhi, Guardi.

The drawings are executed in charcoal and white chalk on coarse, dark-colored paper. They are mounted on a paper backing, sometimes attached only at two or three sides or at the corners, while in other cases, they are secured along all edges. These mountings create tension in the paper, leading to undulations and deformations. Various stains are present, with some larger ones—such as water damage or foxing—standing out despite the dark tone of the paper. The drawings also show signs of wear, including small tears, losses, previously reintegrated gaps, ink stamps, and paper labels.

The conservation treatment will involve light surface cleaning, detachment from the backing and mountings through controlled humidification, and the removal of adhesive residues. Where necessary, stains will be gently reduced using rigid gels. Tears will be mended, and missing areas will be filled with Japanese paper on the reverse. Finally, the drawings will be carefully flattened under weights to restore their original appearance.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Ca’ Rezzonico Museum: Department of Prints and Drawings

Pietro Longhi (1701–1785)
Drawings of Various Subjects
Charcoal, pencil, and chalk on paper
Eighteenth century

Craievich, Alberto (ed.). Drawn From Life. Tiepolo, Longhi, Guardi. Verona: Scripta Edizioni, 2020

Pignatti, Terisio (ed.). Disegni antichi del Museo Correr di Venezia. Vol. IV (Guercino – Longhi). Vicenza: Neri Pozza Editori, 1987