Conservation of statuary in the Capitoline Museums

Restoration of marble statues depicting Athena (Velletri type) and the young Dionysus, the Altar of Zeus, and Hadrian and Hercules in the Capitoline Museums
Where: 
Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy
Type of intervention: 
Conservation treatment of the statues and final aesthetic presentation
Committent: 
Comune di Roma, Sovrintendenza BB.AA.SS.
Scientific direction: 
dott.sa Marina Mattei, Capitoline Museums
Technical direction: 
Roberto Nardi
When: 
1 April 2001 - 1 July 2001

The statue of Athena, in Parian marble, and the statue of Dionysus, in Greek marble, the two monumental marble statues representing the emperor Hadrian with the symbols of Mars and Hercules, and the altar depicting scenes from the life of Zeus are pieces of great archaeological value and technical and artistic quality.
The statues are composed of original parts reattached and innumerable marble infills from antiquarian restorations. They are all on display in the halls of the Capitoline Museums.

The restoration treatment, performed by the Center for Archaeological Conservation (CCA), was directed toward stabilizing any unsafe parts, removing deposits of dirt and alterations, consolidating loose areas and improving the legibility of the surfaces and ways to distinguish the non-original inserts from ancient restorations.