Restoration of Michelangelo’s Pieta statue in Florence reveals flaws in marble

Florence Jan 23 (BUS): The restoration of Michelangelo’s famous Pita del Opera del Duomo in Florence has revealed that the single block of marble from which the masterpiece was carved was defective, providing a possible reason why it was abandoned earlier. completed.

The statue, known as Bandini Pieta, represents the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene holding the body of Christ as lowered from the cross by a man, Nicodemus, whose face is a self-portrait of the Italian Renaissance artist.

“It’s a home that has suffered and it’s very intimate,” Beatrice Agostini, director of the restoration project, told Reuters. “It’s a really personal statue.”

The restoration work confirmed that the 2,700-kilogram marble had veins and many micro-cracks, especially at the base, which may be the reason behind Michelangelo’s decision to stop work on the sculpture before it was completed, according to a statement.

The artist had initially planned to place the statue next to his grave but only years after beginning to sculpt it, in the mid-1500s, the 75-year-old Michelangelo decided to give up the masterpiece, presenting it as a gift to a servant, then selling it to a banker, Francesco Bandini. .

The statement added that restorers had not found any sign of hammer blows, making it unlikely the prevailing hypothesis that an unhappy Michelangelo tried to destroy the statue in a moment of frustration.

The non-invasive restoration process started in 2019 but has been interrupted several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sediment was removed from the surface of the statue, which was then cleaned, to return it to its original color.

The project was commissioned and managed by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and funded by the American non-profit organization Friends of Florence.

“The operation restored to the world the beauty of one of Michelangelo’s most intense and disturbing masterpieces,” a joint statement read.

Visitors were able to witness all stages of the process as the statue was always on display, in an open laboratory, on a podium, behind a glass screen.

HF