The Reggia di Caserta is looking for patrons to fund the restoration of a full-length portrait of Elisabetta Farnese, dated 1714 and attributed to the workshop of Giovanni Maria Delle Piane, known as il Molinaretto.
The appeal has been published as official museum news. The stated cost of the restoration is €10,000, to be raised through Italy's Art Bonus mechanism, which allows citizens and businesses to support cultural heritage projects with a tax credit.
The painting
The work is an oil on canvas measuring 221 x 155 cm and belongs to the Farnese Collection of the Reggia di Caserta.
The sitter is Elisabetta Farnese, duchess of Parma, wife of Philip V of Spain and mother of Carlo di Borbone. The official announcement describes the painting's conservation condition as discreet, without publishing a detailed technical treatment plan.
No artist's biography beyond the attribution is given in the announcement, and no detailed diagnosis of the canvas or paint surface has been made public.
An open worksite in the Royal Apartments
The restoration is planned as an open worksite inside the Royal Apartments, so visitors will be able to observe the conservation work in progress.
For visitors, that setting matters: the portrait will not disappear into a closed laboratory but will remain part of the museum experience while it is treated. The museum has not announced a start date or completion date for the work.
How patronage works
Support is organized through Art Bonus. Citizens and businesses can contribute to the project and use the Art Bonus tax-credit mechanism.
Art Bonus identifies the Reggia di Caserta as a Ministry of Culture museum in Caserta and lists the Reggia as the beneficiary, with donation instructions and the required payment reference for contributions. Anyone considering a donation should use the official Art Bonus donation details for the Reggia di Caserta to ensure the contribution is correctly assigned.
What has not been announced is equally useful to know: the museum notice does not state a fundraising deadline, nor does it report how much has already been collected. The Art Bonus record consulted for this article does not list this portrait as a separate named intervention, so donors should check the current Art Bonus entry for the Reggia before contributing.
Planning a visit
The Reggia di Caserta is located at Piazza Carlo di Borbone, Caserta.
Visitors interested specifically in the Elisabetta Farnese portrait and its open worksite should check the museum's official news page before traveling, since the restoration schedule, the exact location within the Royal Apartments, and public viewing arrangements may change once the worksite opens.
