Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, finished the restoration of the bust of Michelangelo made by Daniele da Volterra

Therestoration work on the bronze bust of Michelangelo, executed by Daniele Ricciarelli, better known as Daniele da Volterra (Volterra, 1509 - Rome, 1566), immediately after Michelangelo’s death that occurred in 1564 and now preserved at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, has been completed.Daniele da Volterra was a great friend of the genius from Caprese and paid homage to Michelangelo with a highly realistic and emotionally intense bust. This sculpture was so successful that it was replicated in several copies. Only three autograph versions are known, however, two intended for Michelangelo’s grandson, Leonardo Buonarroti, and the third for the collector Diomede Leoni. Initially placed at the Horti Leonini in San Quirico d’Orcia, the sumptuous garden of Diomede Leoni, the work later passed into the collection of Ferdinando I de’ Medici and then, in 1803, became the property of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence: this is the sculpture preserved today in the Galleria dell’Accademia.

The restoration became necessary to remedy the aesthetic and conservation problems that affected it. The bronze surface had been attacked by external agents and was corroded in several places: this was because it had been exposed to the open air for a long time. The restorer who conducted the work, Nicola Salvioli, after carrying out a diagnostic campaign to gather information on the state of conservation, intervened to recover the legibility of the work, to search for surviving portions of the original patinas, and restored the correct arrangement of the bust-pedestal ensemble with the creation of a tergal metal support, moreover allowing for the safety anchorage to the wall.

“The restoration of the important portrait of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra,” said the director of the Accademia Gallery, Cecile Hollberg, “restores, in all its splendor, the true face of the great Renaissance master. The bust of Michelangelo, placed right at the entrance to the Tribune, welcomes, ideally, the public who, from all over the world, come to admire his masterpieces.” The work can now be seen again in the Galleria dei Prigioni, right where Michelangelo’s works are kept: it is located, to be exact, on the right side, just after the entrance.

Pictured: the restored bust of Daniele da Volterra.

Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, finished the restoration of the bust of Michelangelo made by Daniele da Volterra

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