Two precious works damaged by the 2016 earthquake, depicting the Madonna holding the dead body of her son after the deposition from the cross, the so-called Vesperbilds, have been restored at the Laboratory/Restoration of the Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona. The Superintendency of Ascoli Piceno, Fermo and Macerata, in collaboration with the Central Institute for Restoration in Rome, officially returned them on Thursday, July 24, 2025, to the Diocesan Museum of Ascoli Piceno, in the presence of Archbishop Gianpiero Palmieri.
The two sculptures come from the crypt of the Cathedral of Sant’Emidio in Ascoli Piceno and the Church of Santa Maria in Pantano in Montegallo, respectively. Made using the strong stucco mold technique (a mixture of lime, plaster and aggregates), the two sculptural groups were restored inside the workshop set up at the emergency storage facility at the Mole Vanvitelliana.
The Vesperbild coming from the Cathedral had a marked deterioration of the paint film, caused by sudden microclimatic changes during the transfer from the crypt of origin to the momentary storage sacristy, during the restoration work on the crypt itself. The intervention made it possible to remove non-original chromatic layers, consolidate the supporting material and restore a new aesthetic harmony to the work.
The intervention on the second group was more complex: the work showed extensive detachments in the preparatory and pictorial layers, due to successive repainting. In many cases, these layers were more tenacious than the underlying original pictorial film, now preserved in fragments. For this reason, the repaintings were retained where they could not be removed without compromising the rest of the work. This was followed by a pictorial reintegration and light color balancing.
With the redelivery, the two sculptures return to public view: the Cathedral’s Vesperbild will be relocated to its original context, while the one from Montegallo will be temporarily housed in the Diocesan Museum, pending its return to the Church of Santa Maria in Pantano.
“We are pleased with this further redelivery, the third since the beginning of the year, which testifies to the importance of having activated a Restoration Depot/Laboratory right in our Region,” commented Superintendent Arch. Giovanni Issini. “These important works place alongside their historical and artistic value a great testimony of devotion and faith, and now they can return to their places of belonging or to the nearest Museums.”
“Contributing to the return of the works to the communities to which they belong is, for our Institute,” commented ICR Director Arch. Luigi Oliva, “in addition to an institutional duty, a moment in which these communities can perceive and appreciate the value of the restorations and research conducted by ICR staff with the collaboration and support of colleagues from the superintendencies and museums, as well as private operators. The new redelivery underscores the effectiveness of the ongoing recovery program with a view to shedding new light on damaged properties and consolidating their connection with the territory.”
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| Two Vesperbilds damaged in the 2016 earthquake restored. Returned to the Diocese of Ascoli Piceno. |
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