Reconstructing History
Scarce records exist for the Sala delle Asse (Room of Wooden Boards), and those that do survive tend to be very generic and vague. The most significant documents date back to the period of the House of Sforza (mid-15th century) until around 1520. In two letters from this period, “Master Leonardo” is specifically named as the artist responsible for the room’s decoration.
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On April 21, 1498, Gualtiero da Bascapè, the secretary of Duke Ludovico Sforza, also known as “il Moro” (the Moor), wrote, "On Monday, the wooden boards will be removed from the large room, the tower. Master Leonardo promises to finish it by September…" Leonardo da Vinci was therefore available to start painting once the Sala delle Asse was ready and he promised to finish it by September of the same year.
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Two days later, Gualtiero da Bascapè wrote to the duke again: "The wooden boards have been removed from the room," confirming that the wooden panels that covered the walls (often used to protect rooms from cold and humidity) had been removed and so Leonardo could start working. The term “da le Asse” (wooden boards) was later picked up by Luca Beltrami, an architect who carried out restoration work on the Sforza Castle at the end of the 19th century. He renamed the room la "Sala delle Asse", the name by which it is still known today.
Sala delle Asse, detail of Monochrome during the restoration (2012-2015) (1498 ca) by Leonardo da VinciSforzesco Castle
It's likely that da Vinci was unable to finish the room's decoration because he had to leave Milan in a hurry following the fall of Duke Ludovico il Moro and the subsequent arrival of the French forces in September 1499.
Plan of the north corner of Sforza Castle (1893) by Luca BeltramiSforzesco Castle
Over the following centuries, the Sala delle Asse suffered at the hands of foreign dominations, who used Sforza Castle for military purposes, turning it into barracks.
Leonardo's wall paintings were repeatedly covered with white lime and the room used as a shelter for horses as can be seen from the stalls designed by Luca Beltrami in the 1893 plan, the year in which the Castle was sold to the Municipality of Milan which promoted its recovery.
Restorations
Two major restoration interventions have been carried out on the Sala delle Asse and its decorative paintings.
1893–1902: Beltrami’s Restoration
Under the direction of the architect Luca Beltrami, and thanks to the important investigations and stratigraphic surveys carried out by the art historian Paul Muller Walde, the remains of da Vinci’s original decoration, which were still preserved beneath the numerous layers of whitewash, were unearthed. The painter/art conservator Ernesto Rusca was entrusted to carry out the restoration work and, in 1902, the room was unveiled to the public.
Sala delle Asse after the intervention of the restorer Ernesto Rusca (1893-1902) (1498 ca) by Leonardo da VinciSforzesco Castle
However, the general public and experts alike were surprised by Rusca’s work. Despite being a faithful follower of da Vinci’s painting, Rusca completely reinterpreted the original decoration with excessively vivid and bold colors that were a million miles away from Leonardo’s sfumato technique.
1955–56: The Second Restoration
After the Second World War, restoration work started on Sforza Castle to repair the damage that it had suffered from bombing. The exhibition rooms of its Museums were also reorganized at this time. The art conservator Ottemi della Rotta adjusted Rusca’s repainting in an effort to bring the Sala delle Asse in line with its original, more subdued colors. He left some panels as evidence of the 19th-century intervention.
Sala delle Asse, after the installation by BBPR architects (1498 ca) by Leonardo da VinciSforzesco Castle
During this intervention, they decided to bring the extraordinary monochrome outlines on the walls of the northern corner back to light. These had already been partly discovered in Beltrami’s period, but were believed to be from the time of Spanish rule. Today, critics agree that the so-called Monochrome was carried out by Leonardo da Vinci.
The installation designed by the architects BBPR in 1956 provided a covering of wooden boards, fully in keeping with the name of the room.
The Room Today
For some time, the decorations in the Sala delle Asse had been affected by extensive degradation. In 2012, a series of important diagnostic investigations was started with the aim of finding out more about the work and its restoration. This was carried out in collaboration with l'Opificio delle Pietre Dure (The Workshop of Precious Stones) in Florence and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
Sala delle Asse, detail of Monochrome during the restoration (2012-2015) (1498 ca) by Leonardo Da VinciSforzesco Castle
The Monochrome restoration was finished in 2015 and the room was temporarily reopened to the public during that year’s Expo.
Sala delle Asse, preparatory landscape drawing (1498 ca) by Leonardo Da VinciSforzesco Castle
Thanks to diagnostic investigations, a portion of ancient plaster was found on the walls of the room still hidden under many layers of dull.
Once removed through the use of the laser, extraordinary traces of preparatory monochrome drawing emerged.
The discovery of these amazing naturalistic details has led many to reconsider the decoration of the Sala delle Asse as a gigantic pergola of mulberry trees. Behind the trunks, which almost reach the ground, the territory of Duke Ludovico il Moro stretches as far as the eye can see under a vast blue sky.
In the shadow of the Moro. The Sala delle Asse, curated by Francesca Tasso and Michela Palazzo, multimedia project Culturanuova srl - Massimo Chimenti (2019-2020) (1498 ca) by Leonardo da VinciSforzesco Castle
As part of the celebrations for the 5th centenary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the restoration works have been temporarily interrupted and the Sala delle Asse has been extraordinarily reopened to the public from May 16, 2019 to February 28, 2020 for the "Under the Shadow of the Moor: The Sala delle Asse" exhibition, curated by Francesca Tasso and Michela Palazzo.
Sala delle Asse, ongoing restoration (2020) (1498 ca) by Leonardo da VinciSforzesco Castle
The study and restoration intervention of the polychrome decoration in the Sala delle Asse is resumed in 2020.
