Scratches on the roof vaulting azurite

Scratches

These have been found not only in the preparatory layers but also in the painted layers, though serious damage mainly concerns the latter. The presence of scratches on the Chapel frescoes is due first and foremost to maintenance work, such as removing dust and cobwebs with tools that accidentally damage the surface. The fragile parts most affected by this type of damage are the expanses of azurite sky and the robes worn by the figures.

Serious detachment in the preparatory layers
Even though on a limited scale, this damage was found mainly on the left wall which originally adjoined the Foscari palazzo, demolished in 1827. Damage extends from the upper part of the chancel arch, and in the roof vaulting near the inner wall of the facade. The state of the damage is more worrying where the continuity of the plaster surface is interrupted - for example, along the lines of juncture between the giornate sections. These detached areas, except in rare cases, do not show signs of de-cohesion or unevenness of the plaster.