Bio restoration using sustainable techniques for Jacopo Sansovino's Madonna of Childbirth

The conservative restoration of the so-called Madonna del parto, a marble monument created by Jacopo Sansovino and housed in the Basilica of Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio, was presented today in Rome. It was an intervention under the banner of sustainable and cutting-edge techniques that allowed to restore legibility to Jacopo Sansovino’s masterpiece. Promoted by the Special Superintendency of Rome, the restoration was carried out in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo as part of Restituzioni, the bank’s program to safeguard and enhance our country’s cultural heritage.

“The Superintendence has always been in the forefront of restorations of masterpieces in Roman churches, carried out with great expertise and at the same time with the most innovative methods, to restore and enhance paintings and monuments,” explained Daniela Porro, Special Superintendent of Rome. “On this occasion great professionalism was brought together, also thanks to the communion of intent and vision with Intesa Sanpaolo, for the first time engaged in Rome in a monumental restoration.” The intervention, led by restorer Anna Borzomati, lasted six months and involved the joint use of non-traditional methodologies and investigations: a true bio-restoration, respectful of the material on which it acts, the environment and the health of both the restorer and the observer of the work within an enclosed space such as that of a church.

The delicate phase of removing deposits of oils, waxes, proteins and synthetic resins, which disfigured the white Carrara marble with obvious brown stains, was accomplished with the use of bacteria, an experimental method in the field of restoration. The project was accompanied by the use of a detailed graphic documentation phase carried out through the creation of a 3-D model.

“For the first time, we are supporting the restoration of an important monumental asset in Rome, adding to the works, housed in museums and churches in the capital, that have been recovered over the years thanks to Restituzioni, in defense of a heritage rich in testimonies of identity for the entire country,” said Michele Coppola, Executive Director Art, Culture and Historical Heritage of Intesa Sanpaolo. “We are pleased to collaborate with the Special Superintendency of Rome, working alongside it in the challenging task of preserving and enhancing the city’s artistic beauty, consistent with the Bank’s focus on sustainability and culture, two pillars of our work in the service of communities.” The Madonna of Childbirth is one of the few works of the Italian Renaissance able to retain, even in the 21st century, a strong devotional character, due to its connection with the experience of motherhood. It is not uncommon to witness the homage of the faithful who, kneeling, pray and deposit ex votos. Recurring votive practices that, especially in the past, have resulted in heavy deposits on the sculpture’s surface with obvious deterioration of Sansovino’s work.

The sculptural group was commissioned in 1516 and was completed by Sansovino in 1521. It is carved from a single block of fine-grained, crystalline white Carrara marble with veins tending toward gray. It develops overall about 181 centimeters in height, 115 in thickness, and about 100 in width. Classical and contemporary influences are noticeable in the work, but there is no shortage of influences from Michelangelo and Raphael.

The restoration of Jacopo Sansovino’s sculptural group depicting the Madonna and Child was characterized by the collaboration of several research organizations, engaged in the preliminary study and application of biosustainable and environmentally friendly technologies.

At the time of restoration, the work was so deteriorated that it required immediate conservation intervention. The entire monument, including the two lateral coats of arms of the Martelli family, showed a heavy browning, spread in spots over the marble surface, due to the worshippers’ custom of touching the surface with the holy oil present in the candles placed there next to it. A devotional practice made licit by the papal bull of Pius VII who, in 1822, granted indulgence to those who kissed the two holy images. A custom that, over time, caused wear and tear and the loss of part of the marble of the Madonna’s foot, which was reinstated in the first half of the twentieth century with a silver foil still present. During nineteenth-century interventions, which saw the Basilica filled with Pietro Gagliardi’s rich and intricate wall decorations, the present base and the pew at the foot of the monument were made in polychrome marble. The gold leaf finishes of the entire architectural apparatus housing the sculptural group of the Madonna and Child, which showed obvious signs of degradation, also seem to date from this period. The abrasions and numerous scratches present on the marble surface were, instead, caused by another, widespread devotional practice that, as documented by historical photos, took place on the occasion of particular liturgical events and consisted in “dressing” the two figures with crowns, necklaces, bracelets and pendants, some attached to metal hooks on the back of the statues. Finally, also in the 20th century, a girdle and a skirt, both made of silver foil, were applied to the Madonna’s and Child’s robes, respectively, which, in agreement with the scientific direction of the restoration, it was decided to permanently remove in order to restore an image of the sculptural group as consistent as possible with the intentions of its creator.

The restoration

The intervention, which lasted six months, was divided into three phases: the first began with an in-depth diagnostic study, aimed at identifying the substances interpenetrated in the marble and the cause of the numerous orange-brown stains that disfigured the monument’s surfaces. The results of the investigations made it possible to develop an intervention that involved the combined use of traditional methodologies, such as mixtures of organic solvents, and innovative techniques, such as the use of biological cleaning agents. In the second phase, the use of organic solvents was the basis for the subsequent application of biology to restoration: being experimented with for about twenty years, biocleaning (and biorestoration in general) stands as a viable alternative to traditional methodologies, because of its absolute respect for the material on which it acts, for the environment, and for the health of humans, whether restorers or mere observers of the work within an enclosed space such as that of a church. It basically provides for the use of microorganisms that, through metabolic action remove, by eating them, the inconsistent substances on the work of art without affecting the material of which it is composed. For the intervention on Sansovino’s monument, four types of microorganisms were selected from among several hundred species: bacterial strains that, once encapsulated in a polysaccharide gel, were applied alternately and for several times on the surface to be treated. The OEM Laboratory of Enea was responsible for both the selection and repeated culture of the bacteria, which was necessary because of the extremely short life span of these microorganisms. The third and final phase of the restoration saw the use of laser instrumentation to remove the encrustations on the gilding, restoring to the architectural and decorative score surrounding the sculptural group the refined play of refractions, between light and shadow, sought in the nineteenth-century arrangement of the monument. Finally, with the use of a digital system, documentation, scientific data from preliminary investigations and a report of restoration activities were incorporated into a three-dimensional model: information that will be useful for future management, maintenance and restoration. This documentation, accompanied by mapping, specific points of interest, archival documents, surveys and photographic details, will be made available on the Internet and can be accessed from the portal of the Special Superintendency of Rome.

Bio restoration using sustainable techniques for Jacopo Sansovino's Madonna of Childbirth

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