Work to reattach the portion of the right tusk of theElephantine of Minerva, the iconic monument in Rome ’s Piazza della Minerva that was damaged last Feb. 15, has already been completed. The intervention, conducted by the Capitoline Superintendency of Cultural Heritage, also gave the opportunity to perform an overall maintenance of the work that included a general washing and disinfection of the marble surfaces. The intervention allowed the removal of dark perculations present especially in the areas less subject to natural rainwater runoff, where deposits and chromatic alterations had accumulated over time. At the same time, the existing grout was checked, with its integration where necessary, so as to ensure material continuity and protection of the surfaces.
The general aesthetic revision involved the entire monument, with special attention to the legibility of the base inscriptions, which were subject to rubrication. To complete the intervention, a final protective coating and film with anti-graffiti function was applied, a measure designed to strengthen the protection of the work in a particularly exposed urban context.
On Sunday, February 15, damage had been found to the elephantine supporting the obelisk in Minerva Square, consisting of the detachment of the end of the left tusk. The fragment, which was immediately recovered, was subjected to technical examination and comparison with archival documentation. The checks revealed that the piece of marble, measuring 11 centimeters in size, had already detached during the act of vandalism in 2016. Therefore, it was not an original element of the 17th-century work, but a portion belonging to a restoration carried out in 1977. This data made it possible to precisely circumscribe the nature of the damage and to set restoration operations in a manner consistent with the monument’s conservation history.
Images recorded by surveillance cameras in the area were acquired and are currently being examined by the Local Police, who are engaged in ascertaining the causes of the detachment. Restoration operations had been planned from the beginning of the week following the report and were carried out within 48 hours, as planned by the Superintendency.
The Minerva Elephantine constitutes one of the most recognizable symbols of the neighborhood and the entire city. Placed in front of the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, the sculptural group, created in 1667 by Ercole Ferrata to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, combines the animal element with the Egyptian obelisk. Precisely because of its central location and the high flow of tourists in the square, the work is constantly exposed to risks related to wear and tear, air pollution and possible vandalism.
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| Minerva elephant, reattached damaged tusk and completed maintenance |
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