The workshop of the Córdoba-based restorer Juan Pablo Morales has received the processional mantle of Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles en sus Misterios Dolorosos. This piece, embroidered with fine gold, metallic elements, and silks by Piedad Muñoz from Albaida del Aljarafe, was designed by Fray Ricardo de Córdoba and donated by the Duchess of Cardona, first worn during Holy Week in 1995.
The intervention, estimated to take ten months, aims to halt the garment's deterioration and ensure its preservation. To fund this project, the brotherhood has secured a 20,000 euro subsidy for the 2025 fiscal year, granted by the Córdoba Provincial Council for the restoration of the province's brotherhood heritage.
“"The technical rigor and respect for the artistic values of the work."
Juan Pablo Morales, a conservator and restorer from the University of Seville, will carry out the work following an approved intervention proposal. The Holy Tuesday corporation has emphasized his commitment to technical rigor and respect for the artistic value of the piece.
The mantle, made of peacock blue silk velvet, is distinguished by its superimposed silver angels. The ivory elements were started by Juan Antonio Kiernan and completed by Dolores León Peñuelas, while the silversmithing of the angels is the work of Ramón León Peñuelas. It includes embroidered cartouches with legends such as 'Gloria Nazarenorum' and 'Regina Angelorum'.
The restoration will address the loss of gold leaf, cardboard breakage, and tensions in the support that have caused damage to the velvet. Oxidations will also be removed, the pin area strengthened, the perimeter of the high-quality Spanish point gold lace aligned, and loose silks repaired, all due to use and the passage of time. Additionally, a new storage system for the mantle will be created, designed to avoid sharp angles and keep the piece curved.
