Rome, restoration of the Altar of the Fatherland begins

The restoration campaign of theAltar of the Fatherland, promoted by the VIVE Institute - Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, directed by Edith Gabrielli, started today in Rome . The Vittoriano was conceived in the aftermath of Victor Emmanuel II’s death on January 9, 1878: the monument was intended to celebrate the first king of Italy and, through his person, the entire Risorgimento, or the process at the origin of Italy’s unity and independence. The design by Marche architect Giuseppe Sacconi, winner of a special competition announced in 1882, was put in place by 1885. The monument, inaugurated still incomplete in 1911, was completed in the 1930s. The Altar of the Fatherland, on the other hand, is the curvilinear area at the center of the Vittoriano. Sacconi, called to revise the initial design, thought of transforming this part of the monument into a large secular altar dedicated to the Nation and its values. Its decoration, 70 meters long and 5 meters high, was the work of Lombard sculptor Angelo Zanelli (San Felice del Benaco, 1879 - Rome, 1942). Zanelli, who was the winner of a competition announced in 1908, completed the work in 1925.

The sculptural frieze decorating the Altar of the Fatherland features a statue of the Goddess Rome in the center in an aedicule with a gold mosaic background. On either side are two bas-reliefs, both conceived as majestic processions: one, on the western side, depicts The Love of the Fatherland that fights and wins; the other, on the eastern side, The Work that builds and fertilizes. Zanelli, a native of the province of Brescia, had trained in the bed of classicism, then changed his language to Art Nouveau and Symbolist. This particular stylistic trait enabled him to combine the memory of antiquity with some of the most advanced international trends. Goddess Rome, in particular, shows a marked sensitivity to the Austrian Gustav Klimt and the Viennese Secession.

Today, the Altar of the Fatherland and its decoration are poorly legible, in a precarious and in some areas critical state of preservation. The climatic conditions of the Victorian, characterized by high humidity and temperatures due to exposure to the sun, have favored the formation of a dark patina on the stone surface, due to the accumulation of micro-algae, fungi and lichens. These organisms, in addition to obtunding the correct perception of the artifact, cause mechanical and chemical degradation of the surface. The restoration, directed by Edith Gabrielli and carried out by Susanna Sarmati, has as its first objective to ensure the material conservation of the Altar of the Fatherland, arresting the current degradation phenomena and preventing future damage through appropriate surface treatment. The second objective is to restore full legibility to Zanelli’s work, down to its details, allowing for a full critical understanding. The third and final objective is to gain a set of specific knowledge to reconstruct techniques, methods and construction phases of the work.

The work will be divided into three phases. The first phase, from March 28 to July 8, 2023, will involve the side portions of the Altar; the second phase, from July 9 to September 3, 2023, the central right portion, including La Dea Roma; and the third phase, from September 4 to October 24, 2023, the central left portion. Subject to the service of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, this sequence will allow, among other things, the smooth running of the ceremonies of April 25, 2023 and June 2, 2023. The work will be completed on October 24, 2023, in observance of the November 4, 2023 ceremony.

The work is conceived as an open construction site, able among other things to attest to Italian excellence in the field of artistic restoration. Citizens and tourists will have the opportunity to observe the workers live, to climb on the scaffolding during guided tours-scheduled for April 23, June 11, Aug. 27 and Sept. 27-and to check the progress of the intervention through a Diary of Restoration, or a video report published weekly on the VIVE - Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia website: vive.cultura.gov.it/en/restauro

“Since we took office, we have dedicated special care to the Altar of the Fatherland and its majestic sculptural decoration,” says Edith Gabrielli, director of VIVE. “We have done so in full agreement with the values that the Altar of the Fatherland has represented and still represents today, but also because we firmly believe in the quality of Angelo Zanelli: this is an artist of truly international renown, as demonstrated by his undertaking for Cuba in 1928, yet for various reasons sometimes forgotten. The restoration we are inaugurating represents the first step in a broader, deeper and more articulate critical recovery operation.”

In addition to restoration, the enhancement of the Altar of the Fatherland is based on several steps, coordinated and interdependent. The VIVE institute initiates a campaign of study, cataloguing and restoration of part of the plaster casts now in storage at the former Slaughterhouse of Rome, also thanks to the collaboration of the Special Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome. It is actually a composite patrimony, consisting partly of sketches and models of the Altar of the Fatherland made by both Angelo Zanelli and other participants in the competition, and partly of other works by Zanelli himself at the time donated by the sculptor’s heirs to the Italian state. Once recovered, the ensemble will be fully part of VIVE’s heritage and thus available to the public. The study and cataloguing phases are under the scientific direction of Valerio Terraroli, full professor of Museology and Art Criticism and Restoration at the University of Verona; the restoration is entrusted to Luca Pantone.

Upon completion of the restoration of the plaster casts, on Oct. 25, 2023, the VIVE Institute will open an exhibition, curated by Terraroli himself, in the Zanardelli Hall of the Vittoriano, dedicated to the figure of Angelo Zanelli and in particular to the decoration of the Altar of the Fatherland. Visitors will be able to learn more about the Italian sculptor and the events that led him first to prevail in the competition and then to create the monumental decoration. The exhibition will be based on recovered plaster casts, works on loan and an immersive experience based on the latest in restoration.

Rome, restoration of the Altar of the Fatherland begins

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