 by Silvia Messeri
"Saved from the Waters"
A treasure to admire at Palazzo Vecchio
Forty-five exhibits on display, forty-five examples of the artistic heritage
of Florence which are also one of the riches of all Mankind, can be seen
in the exhibition in the Arms Room in Palazzo Vecchio, open since November
4th, which will continue until February 2nd. The organizers of this unusual
exhibition have called it "Saved from the waters". In fact, it was organized
by the Board of Artistic and Historical Assets, the Opificio delle Pietre
Dure and the City Council of Florence to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary
of the flood, in order to inform people on the work that has been carried
out to date.
The cover page of the exhibition catalogue |
It has taken thirty years to restore the works of art damaged in
the disaster of 1966. These are represented here by some of the more important
of the restored masterpieces but we can also find works that are still
being restored, together with others that are unfortunately still awaiting
the chance to be given new life. The works on display include Donatello's
"Magdalen", a panel from the Door of Paradise by Ghiberti, two statues
in wood (St. Nicholas and a Christ whose origin is unknown). The financial
contributions towards restoration nowadays only permit the recuperation
of about ten art works a year. We should bear in mind that about 1500
paintings on canvas and wood were damaged in the flood and that 450 still
have to be restored. These masterpieces include "The Last Supper" by Vasari,
a six metre wide painting that comes from the Museum of the Opera of Santa
Croce, which is still covered in the temporary protection placed on it
in 1966, and of which there are no illustrations previous to 1966. According
to an estimate carried out by Dr.ssa Magnolia Scudieri, one of the curators
of the exhibition, it will probably cost at least 80 million lire (about
55.000 US$) to restore this work.
Creation of Adam and Eve,
restored
panel of the Door
of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti
|
However the storerooms still contain a great many furnishings from
the Florentine churches, statues and bronzes mostly dating from the 14th
and 15th centuries. The exhibition also includes a statue of Christ in
wood which has recently been adopted by a group of people who will thus
guarantee its restoration. See also: Interview
with Dr.ssa Cristina Acidini, Vicariate Head of Artistic and Historic
Assets
FAN-Florence ART
News
a cura di
Silvia Messeri & Sandro Pintus
|
