Public Approach Front
original east front
Pax / Italia / Tellus / Venus
Althought this is the best preserved of the 4 front relief panels, many parts have been restored, some reconstructed, as seen in the photos below. These seem to have been carried out mainly in the 16th century, or possibly earlier. Following current professional conservation practice, early reconstructions have been stabilized, re-secured, and integrated, while leaving visible differences to allow viewers to distinguished between original and later parts.
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With the exception of parts indicated as reconstructions in other photos and captions on this page, much of this secton of the relief is high quality original carving and well preserved. Exceptionally well preserved are the poppies, iris, leaves, and barley heads carved in relief on the background. photo July 2008
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Tellus after temporary removal, during 1982-1990 restoration, of "small inserts used [during early restoration] to reconstruct the peaks of the folds in the drapery, a lock of hair, and the nose" showing "that quite large holes had been drilled to house iron pins with diameters that are too large to fit the dimensions of the inserts". Scanned from Giovanna Martellotti, "Reconstructive Restoration of Roman Sculptures: Three Case Studies", History of Restoration of Ancient Stone Sculptures, ed. Janet Burnett Grossman, Jerry Podany, and Marion True; Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003, fig.8 (photo P. Rizzi). Reproduced with appreciation.
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Head and bust of Tellus after small previous inserts (described in caption to photo at left) had been replaced. photo July-Oct. 2008
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"Entire figure of the child, except his hand and right leg, is a [probably early] reconstruction, as is the nearby hand of Tellus and the adjacent piece of drapery". The smooth surface of the child's body and of Tellus's hand contrast with the worn surface of the unrestored marble. Scanned from Giovanna Martellotti, "Reconstructive Restoration of Roman Sculptures: Three Case Studies", History of Restoration of Ancient Stone Sculptures, ed. Janet Burnett Grossman, Jerry Podany, and Marion True; Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003, fig.7 (photo P. Rizzi). Reproduced with appreciation. |
This is a recent photo of same portion shown in photo at left. The separations between the original and reconstructed portions have been suppressed but not eliminated. photo July 2008
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This pioneering color projection aligns closely with each form and achieves remarkably naturalistic shading. photo May 2010
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With the exception of parts indicated as reconstructions in other photos and captions on this page, much of this secton of the relief is original carving. photo July 2008
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The face of the child is an early reconstruction; but the child's body, goddess's hand and gown. fruit in her lap, and especially the harvest display on the background, are of exceptional quality and well preserved. photo July 2008 |
The toes of both feet are early reconstructions. photo July 2008
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The entire right section of the ox, including head and forelegs, is an early reconstruction. A later relief, partly a copy, shows the ox head looking more to the right. photo July 2008 |
All but the rear of the sheep are early reconstructions, recently reintegrated. photo May 2010
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The front of the sea-snake's face is an early reconstruction. The distinction is made clear in its current presentation. photo July 2008
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