Preservation works carried out with the contribution of the Northwest Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums

A day dedicated to studying the bronze statue of Hercules Mastai at the Vatican Museums

Hercules Mastai, the colossal bronze statue named after Pius IX, who included it among the collections of the Vatican Museums, has undergone a complex intervention to preserve it. The restoration project was possible thanks to the contribution of Rick and Lisa Altig of the Northwest Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. On Tuesday, 3 December, the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage held a workshop dedicated to furthering knowledge on “Hercules Mastai – From its Finding to its Restoration”, and to providing details of its restoration.

Speakers at the event include Barbara Jatta, Director of the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, Giandomenico Spinola, Artistic-Scientific Deputy Director, Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rome’s Superintendent for Cultural Heritage, Clara di Fazio and Claudia Valeri from the Vatican Museums’ Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Chiara Omodei Zorini and Alice Baltera, from the Vatican Museums’ Metals and Ceramics Restoration Laboratory, Andrea Felice from the Stone Materials Restortion Laboratory, Fabio Morresi, Ulderico Santamaria and Andrea Pernella from the Cabinet for Scientific Research, Anna Patera, Elisa Pucci, Annalena Brini of the Opifico delle Pietre Dure, Wilma Basilissi and Simona Pannuzi of the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, Claudio Falcucci of the M.I.D.A. Studio in Rome and Alessandro Pacini, independent researcher.

With its fine gilding, the almost four-metres tall majestic bronze statue (30-370 A.D.), is still in an excellent state of preservation. It is currently on display in the Round Hall of the Pio Clementino Museum.

The complex restoration project was coordinated by the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, and carried out by the Metals and Ceramics Restoration Laboratory, in cooperation with the Cabinet of Scientific Research.