On the façade of Palazzo Comunale in Imola, in the same square where Neri restored 4 monumental lamp posts from 1928 (see presentation ‘Restoration of the historic lamp posts of Imola’), 15 wrought iron brackets have been decorating and providing light for the building with fake candles for over a century. Continuous water infiltrations had seriously damaged the brackets, and it was feared they would fall. Neri was asked to restore them, and here is our description of the of the work carried on.
The brackets were cleaned to remove all of the deposits that had collected on the original materials. We then identified the critical points where the iron thickness had been reduced to the point of compromising the stability of the bracket. Then the individual leaves were separated and restored, while the load bearing structure built from a steel column was rebuilt and galvanised to prolong its resistance to weather. The original iron leaves were then welded to the central column to recreate the bracket according to the original design. The brackets were then puttied and painted, one by one. Lastly, the base rose with the ‘candle’ have been applied and then remounted. The final result is stunning.