Rome, restoration of Thorvaldsen's Venus and Bienaimé's Telemachus from the Academy of St. Luke kicks off

TheNational Academy of St. Luke in Rome is inaugurating a new restoration campaign dedicated to two important neoclassical sculptures: Venus with an apple (1813) by Danish master Bertel Thorvaldsen and Telemachus (ca. 1835) by Carrarese sculptor Luigi Bienaimé, his pupil . The initiative is carried out in collaboration with theLoveItaly Association, under the scientific supervision of conservator Fabio Porzio and in agreement with the Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Rome. The restoration of the Venus with Apple is part of the Arte Fuori dal Museo project, promoted as part of the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Culture’s General Directorate for Museums, LoveItaly and Federalberghi Lazio, with the support of Hotel Nord Nuova Roma. The work on the Telemachus, on the other hand, is made possible thanks to the contribution of Pierluigi Toti Cavaliere del Lavoro and will be carried out by restorers Gabriella Caterini and Carola Tavazzi of Artificia Consorzio. The construction site on Bienaimé’s Telemachus will be open to the public on March 5 and March 25, 2026, at 5 p.m., to offer visitors the opportunity to observe restoration techniques and methodologies up close.

Placed at the entrance to the Academy, the Telemachus, which depicts the son of Odysseus and Penelope, is an opportunity to delve into the figure of Bienaimé and his connection to the institution, which appointed him professor of sculpture in 1844. The intervention will also make it possible to reconstruct the historical story of the work: in fact, there is a replica donated to the Carrara Academy and a marble version purchased in 1839 by Tsar Alexander II of Russia, which is now preserved in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Special attention will be paid to the study of the execution technique and current conservation procedures applied to plaster surfaces.

The Venus with the Apple, sculpted by Thorvaldsen in 1813 and depicting the goddess with the golden apple after her victory over Juno and Minerva, was until now kept in the Academy’s storerooms and was not accessible to scholars and the public. The restoration, entrusted to Cecilia Balzi and Rebecca Picca Orlandi, will allow its enhancement and relocation in the neoclassical itinerary of the Galleria dei Gessi, alongside the artist’s other works. The marble version of the sculpture is kept at the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.

The campaign of interventions will be joined, subject to the authorization of Rome’s Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio, by the restoration of two Thorvaldsen bas-reliefs: Alexander on the chariot (1812) and Priam pleads with Achilles for the return of Hector’s body (1815), donated to the Academy in 1844 by the artist’s executors. The former depicts Alexander the Great on the triumphal chariot driven by Winged Victory and echoes the version of the theme made in 1837 for Prince Alessandro Torlonia, now preserved in Palazzo Torlonia in Rome. The original idea goes back to the frieze of Alexander’s Entrance into Babylon executed in 1812 for the Quirinal Palace. The second bas-relief, conceived as early as 1804 and designed as a pendant to another Homeric scene made for the Duke of Bedford, features a nocturnal frieze composition with Priam supplicating before Achilles, accompanied by gifts and followed by the Greek hero’s companions. Of this work, too, Alexander Torlonia commissioned replicas now preserved in his Roman palace. The restoration of the two reliefs, supported by the contribution of Pierluigi Toti, is expected to start in mid-April and will be entrusted to the restorers of Artificia Consorzio.

The entire restoration campaign is part of the National Academy of St. Luke’s long tradition of protection, study and enhancement of its significant artistic heritage.

Rome, restoration of Thorvaldsen's Venus and Bienaimé's Telemachus from the Academy of St. Luke kicks off

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