Joyce Terreni

Restorer and collaborator registered in the ministerial list of “Restoration technicians of cultural heritage”

Restorer and collaborator registered in the ministerial list of “Restoration technicians of cultural heritage” specialised in the conservation and restoration of:

• Terracotta, majolica, pottery, grès stoneware and porcelain
• Glass, ivory and wax
• Stone materials, plaster and stucco
• Papier mâché
• Concrete

Joyce received her diploma in “Architecture and Furnishings” at the Leon Battista Alberti artistic secondary school in Florence and first became interested in studying the art of mosaics after attending workshops held by Prof. Giancarlo Raddi from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Subsequently, she attended a three-year professional course at the Palazzo Spinelli Institute for Art and Restoration in Florence and obtained the diploma as a qualified technician for the restoration of ceramics and stone works of art) in 2010. From 2010 to 2011, she specialised in the restoration of archaeological finds. After further years of training and internships in museums and restoration laboratories in Italy and abroad, she began working with restorer, Franca Gambarotta Terzi, who had been her ceramic restoration teacher.

In 2016, Joyce founded her plastic arts restoration studio under the name Arti Plastiche Studio di Restauro, which is registered as an artisan company. She constantly participates in refresher courses, workshops, technical meetings and conferences dedicated to new methods applied to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

Since the end of May 2023, a professional collaboration has been established with restorer Eva Mentelli, focusing on the study and application of conservation restoration methodologies for works of art under the protection of the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage.

Eva Mentelli

Heritage Conservator

In 1994, she graduated from the “Architecture” program at the Leon Battista Alberti Art High School in Florence. During her final year, graduating students were offered a visit to the Restoration Laboratories of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, and it was there that she realized this would be her profession. In 1995, she passed the three stages of the public competition organized by the Ministry and was among the four winners admitted to the three-year course at the SAF of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in the field of "Terracotta and Plastic Materials." She graduated in 1998 with a thesis entitled "Botanical Waxes: Technical Aspects and Intervention Methodologies."

After a year of specialization at the same institute—working with her class group on the restoration of the majolica Baptismal Font of San Giusto in Piazzanese (PO)—she began collaborating with the restoration company “PT Color,” working on various sites in Florence and its province.

In 2001, she was first hired on a one-year contract and later permanently by the Governoratoi of the Vatican City State. She served in the Metal and Ceramics Restoration Laboratory of the Vatican Museums for 22 years, until 2023. Her experience at the Vatican Museums significantly enhanced her expertise, expanding her interest to various materials, particularly glass and ivory.

Moreover, the role of restorer there was comprehensive and multifaceted, involving all aspects of work within a major international museum: exhibitions, climate control, exhibition and display setup, accompanying artworks on loan to other institutions (both museums and others, in Italy and abroad), and opportunities to conduct experimental work during specific restorations (e.g., on adhesives and protective coatings for ancient glass, and consolidants for polychrome Egyptian terracotta).

One particularly significant project was her involvement in the new installation of the “Sala degli Indirizzi” along the Vatican Apostolic Library, where over 700 objects—including goldsmith works, ivory, and glass—were moved and reinstalled.

She also worked on the important new setup of the Pharmacy Rooms I and II of the Vatican Museums, where the historic Pharmacy of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere was recreated. In this context, medieval and Renaissance ceramics—originally displayed in the rooms of St. Pius V along the upper galleries of the Vatican Museums—were newly arranged alongside the Carpegna collection, which includes 34 historiated plates from the 16th century.

With her final professional advancement, she held the position of Deputy Head of the Metals and Ceramics Laboratory until the end of May 2023, overseeing the daily scheduling of the team of restorers in the absence of the department head.

In June 2023, she returned permanently to Florence and began working as a sole proprietor, collaborating with Joyce Terreni’s restoration studio “Arti Plastiche.” Here, she is exploring new themes and intervention methods applied to works related to antiques and private collections, with particular attention to aesthetic restoration. She also works on contemporary artworks, facing the challenges posed by unusual materials (such as polystyrene and fiberglass) and the delicate and stimulating dynamics of interacting with living artists.

Her professional activities also expanded to include public commissions for the restoration and conservation of movable cultural heritage under the supervision of State Superintendencies. She actively participates in continuing education, workshops, technical meetings, and conferences dedicated to new methodologies in cultural heritage conservation and restoration.