MANN, delicate overturning of Alexander's Mosaic concluded. Great excitement among the work team

Thanks to the choral work of high specialization involving architects, engineers and restorers, the delicate tipping over of the Alexander mosaic, a masterpiece from the House of the Faun in Pompeii that measures 5.82 x 3.13 meters and weighs 5 tons (the last weight measurement was after the tipping over) and is considered one of the most iconic masterpieces in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, was successfully accomplished. The tipping operation is the indispensable step to enter the executive phase of the restoration.

Fifteen days were needed for the assembly of the handling system and for testing; more than three hours of careful work were needed to turn over the mosaic: the artifact, by now anchored to the handling system, was released from the iron brackets that held it to the wall and was slowly brought to a horizontal position. The gradual and uniform rotation was accomplished by a system consisting of two sets of four hoists, each equipped with individual load cells. Also present was a fiber-optic sensor system attached to the metal frame enclosing the mosaic. During operations, there was constant real-time monitoring of the load distribution on the individual hoists and any deformations of the frame. All parameters were abundantly contained within the design safety limits. The mosaic, well secured within a kind of sandwich (consisting partly of the old containment system and partly of the new closure panel), did not suffer any kind of stress.

Great was the excitement of the work team at the conclusion of the extraordinary handling of the work.

On Wednesday, November 1, the “transparent construction site” will open, giving visitors the opportunity to watch the work from a window installed in the adjacent room. The section housing the mosaic masterpieces of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples will also be open again.

“These are days of immense satisfaction and special excitement, days that will remain in the history of MANN and that we want to share with our visitors,” said director Paolo Giulierini. “The most famous mosaic of antiquity has moved, after more than a century, and it is now possible to work on the mortars of 2,000 years ago. The great undertaking is proceeding thanks to the professionalism of an extraordinary team. In the week in which we cut the milestone of 500,000 admissions in 2023, we invite all citizens, in addition, of course, to the many tourists expected for the holidays, to visit MANN for the two free days desired by Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano: November 4, National Unity and Armed Forces Day, and November 5, the first Sunday of the month. The public will find a Museum fully staffed and at work. The Mosaic of Alexander the Great and Darius will shine again as no one had ever seen it. We promised. And we always keep our word.”

Photo by Valentina Cosentino

MANN, delicate overturning of Alexander's Mosaic concluded. Great excitement among the work team

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