Drawings, Prints, and 20th C. Photographs
2003 Martellotti
In this article, Giovanna Martellotti, demonstrates how much can be learned about the previous history of ancient sculpture by careful physical examiation, informed by knowledge of previous restorations. The Ara Pacis provides a most instructive example. The author is a conservator of the Conservazione Beni Culturali (CBC), a private conservation group. The Ara Pacis was treated by the CBC, under the supervision of Dr Eugenio La Rocca and Dr Laura Cafiero of the Sovrintendenza del Comune di Roma, .
Scanned from Giovanna Martellotti, “Reconstructive Restorations of Roman Sculptures: Three Case Studies”, History of Restoration of Ancient Stone Sculptures; Papers from a Symposium, October 2001, ed. Janet Burnett Grossman, Jerry Podany, and Marion True (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003). Quotations are from the author's captions and text. Reproduced with appreciation.
TO ZOOM IN ON THE LARGE IMAGES, USE THE BUTTONS AT TOP-LEFT.
Tips for using this website
History of Restoration of Ancient Stone Sculpture. Papers from a Symposium, October 2001. J. Paul Getty Museum
|
"Fig. 7 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (east front). Figure of a child." - "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" (p.184). "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|
"Fig. 8 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (east front). Tellus after removal of all but one marble insert." - 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" (p.185). "Photo: P. Rizzi" |
"Fig. 9 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (south wall). The Younger Antonio." - "when the insert on the nose was removed [during the restoration of 1982-1990] from the face of the younger Antonia on the last block of the south Procession (which we know was restored by Carradori [in 1784]), it revealed a smooth and regular surface with sharp edges intended to maximize surface contact. The diameter of the holes, and thus of the pins, is much smaller [than in earlier restorations] . . . the technique used here is significantly more refined" (p.185). "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|
"Fig. 10 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (south wall). Figure of a boy." - "the face of the boy is Neoclassical in style, as are his hand and much of his drapery (fig. 10). This block also suffered the most drastic cleaning treatment, at times amounting to a reworking of the marble" (p.187) . "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|
"Fig. 11 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (south wall). Figures from the block of the Flamines." - "The block was excavated in 1937 and has never been subject to reconstructive restoration work. but we can safely say that the broken nose and folds detract not a whit from our appreciation of the work. We can, though, be sure that in the past all these breaks would have been evened out and chiseled down to accomodate a marble reconstruction" (p.187). "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|
"Fig. 12 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (south wall). Drusus." - "in the past all these breaks would have been evened out and chiseled down to accomodate a marble reconstruction, as was done in the case of Drusus in block VII of the south wall" (p.187). "Photo: P. Rizzi
|
"Fig. 13 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae. Figures from the north wall." - "An example of drapery from the north wall, seen after the removal of numerous small inserts (fig. 13), allow us to imaging how it looked prior to [previous] restoration, with breaks and corrosion of the stone a little worse than those seen in the Flamines block (see fig. 11), a level of damage that surely would not have affected out overall enjoyment of the work" (pp.187-188). "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|
"Fig. 14 Detail of the Ara Pacis Augustae (north wall). Figures from the join between two blocks; an inserted head covers the join." - "It is the only join where the blocks fit perfectly together, and the sculptor ["Franceso Carradori (1747-1824)"] believed it was a natural break" (p.188) so that the inserted head would cover the break. "Photo: P. Rizzi"
|