Venetian Heritage has a papier-mâché Madonna attributed to Sansovino restored

On the occasion of the 33rd edition of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato , which opens at Palazzo Corsini from September 28 to October 6, 2024, Venetian Heritage presents the restoration, underway at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, of a precious papier-mâché sculpture depicting the Madonna and Child with Two Puttos attributed to Jacopo Tatti known as Sansovino (Florence, 1486 - Venice, 1570). The work, owned by IPAV (Istituzioni Pubbliche di Assistenza Veneziane) comes from the Muneghette Hospice in Venice and was found in a total state of disrepair in the late 1970s. The sculptural group is attributed to the Florentine Jacopo Sansovino, who took refuge in Venice following the Sack of Rome in 1527, when the Eternal City was put to fire and sword by Lansquenet troops sent by Emperor Charles V. The flight of artists active at the court of Clement VII de Medici caused the spread of Mannerism.

Jacopo Sansovino, shortly after his arrival in the Lagoon, was appointed proto of St. Mark’s basilica, then a ducal chapel, and, with the support of influential figures such as Pietro Aretino and Titian, became the main protagonist of 16th-century Venetian architecture and sculpture. The Madonna and Child with Two Putti underwent an initial restoration in the 1970s, but this did not completely solve the structural problems of the sculpture, which was made of papier-mâché, hollow inside and extremely delicate. A careful conservation intervention is currently underway at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence aimed not only at a new aesthetic presentation but also at solving the sculpture’s structural problems.

Thanks to a fruitful collaboration between IPAV, the Ministry of Culture-Regional Museums Directorate of Veneto and Venetian Heritage, the sculpture will be exhibited at the Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at Ca’ d’Oro when the restoration is completed. Venetian Heritage is financing the restoration and refitting project of the aforementioned museum, for which it has raised and donated 9 million euros. The restoration of the sculpture is made possible thanks to a donation from Eduardo A. Braniff, Board Member of Venetian Heritage. For the exhibition of the work at BIAF, Venetian Heritage would like to thank ARTE Generali and Arterìa for their support as technical sponsors.

Venetian Heritage has a papier-mâché Madonna attributed to Sansovino restored

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.