Italia Nostra and the restoration of three Renaissance sculptures at Milan's Duomo Museum

Italia Nostra returns to support Milan’s artistic heritage with an intervention that restores new light to three precious sculptures in Milan’s Duomo Museum. Thanks to the contribution of the Milan branch of the association, established in 1955 to protect cultural heritage, visitors can once again admire St. Sebastian, Bacchus and Virtue, three Candoglia marble works dating back to the 16th century. The restoration, carried out by Eros Zanotti’s Magistri S.r.l on behalf of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, was conducted directly in Room 7, under the eyes of the public. It was an on-sight intervention that made it possible to closely follow the delicate process of recovery, carried out in harmony with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the metropolitan city of Milan.

The three sculptures, originally placed in the Duomo, now share a common destiny inside the Museum, where they represent an important testimony of Lombard Renaissance sculptural production. This intervention marks another step in the collaboration between Italia Nostra and the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, which in the past had already seen the association’s support for the restoration of the Pogliaghi Door in 1998 and for that of the large wooden Model of the Cathedral in 2006.

“We are very happy with the restoration just completed on the three sculptures Bacchus, Virtue and Saint Sebastian, made possible thanks to the support of Italia Nostra, which has already been at the side of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo on other occasions. For the Duomo Museum, it was an important opportunity to ”rediscover“ the beauty of three splendid works that needed to be cleaned in order to return to be admired in all their splendor. A concrete sign of constant work to enhance the collections of our museum,” says Monsignor Gianantonio Borgonovo, Archpriest of the Duomo and Director of the Culture and Conservation Area of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano.

"Italia Nostra has always been committed to the protection and enhancement of the country’s historical, cultural and artistic heritage, through a series of restorations promoted by the Monti Fund, the result of an important bequest in our will. This is the third time in our history that we have collaborated with the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo and, this time, we have promoted the restoration of three important 16th-century statues that are inside the Duomo Museum. We are particularly proud to collaborate with the Fabbrica to re-offer the vision of these works to the Milanese," says Edoardo Croci, national president and chairman of the Milan section of Italia Nostra.

Saint Sebastian, Bacchus and Virtue

The St. Sebastian, made by an unknown sculptor in the early 16th century, comes from a large window in the apse area of the cathedral. The figure, depicted as a young man with a suffering face pierced by arrows, shows clear references to the style of Cristoforo Solari, an artist who helped bring classicism to the arts in Lombardy. Bacchus, the work of an anonymous sculptor from the fourth decade of the 16th century, was originally on a capital in the cathedral. The Roman god of wine is depicted with a pose inspired by Michelangelo ’s Bacchus preserved at the Bargello, but with a more composed attitude and less abandoned to drunkenness. Finally, Virtue, perhaps identifiable with Prudence, is an imposing female figure with an absorbed gaze, an elegant diadem, and richly detailed drapery. Coming from the cathedral’s tiburium, she is part of the classical tradition introduced into the cathedral by artists such as Benedetto Briosco and Andrea Fusina.

Restoration between tradition and innovation

The three sculptures, exhibited for centuries outside the cathedral, have suffered the effects of pollution and weathering, with progressive blackening of the surface and loss of the characteristic pinkish hue of Candoglia marble. The restoration removed deposits and black crusts through a combined approach of traditional techniques and innovative technologies. Alongside cleaning by means of compresses, laser was employed, a solution that allows for precision and safety while avoiding direct mechanical action on the sculptures. This made it possible to recover the original details and bring back the finishes, restoring the three works to their artistic identity.

The intervention on the sculptures is part of a broader process of enhancement of the Cathedral Museum, which in addition to the physical exhibition now offers a new digital platform. The online catalog, consisting of 846 cards, allows scholars and enthusiasts to learn more about the history of the works preserved in the Museum. The cards can be viewed on the official website of the Duomo duomomilano.it, within the Culture and Art section. Thanks to this tool, which is constantly updated with new content, even those who cannot physically visit the Museum have the opportunity to explore its collections and learn about the latest restorations, such as that of St. Sebastian, Bacchus and Virtue.

Italia Nostra and the restoration of three Renaissance sculptures at Milan's Duomo Museum

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