Florence, results of analysis on Bartolini's plaster casts presented

The technical-scientific study of plaster models by Lorenzo Bartolini (Savignano, 1777 - Florence, 1850) kept in the Gipsoteca of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, a pilot project carried out by the Florentine museum together with Sabap and Supsi - the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland in Mendrisio - , is nearing completion and the results obtained through sophisticated diagnostic investigations are being evaluated. The methodological process used followed that developed in the research project on the model collection of Swiss sculptor Vincenzo Vela (1820-1891) at the Vincenzo Vela Museum in Ligornetto, Switzerland. The first investigations were visual observations on the surface of the models carried out by Sabap and Supsi technicians, seeking to identify those signs of the working of the material that would allow an understanding of the procedures used by the sculptor in the making of the modeling and shaping techniques.

The long period of neglect in which the works have been kept for many years, the devastating passage of the Flood, have altered and transformed their material texture, which the photographs with ultraviolet light have greatly highlighted. In fact, the presence of the residues of old fixatives and protective agents as well as the pollutants in the Arno River water are clearly visible with this investigation technique. Thanks to the investigations, by identifying the specific conservation criticalities, the eventual handling of the works can be carried out in a more conscious way. In addition, 4 plaster models and the corresponding marble works were scanned in 3D. From the superimposition of the scans, it is possible to precisely verify the degree of fineness of the model in relation to the marble, thus being able to assess what and how many differences there were in the transposition. In this way it is possible to define what the value and function of the plaster model was for the artist. The project was carried out by an international multidisciplinary team of scientific experts, restorers, art historians and technicians: Cecilie Hollberg, Eleonora Pucci, Graziella Cirri and Elvira Altiero for the Galleria dell’Accademia; Giovanni Nicoli, Elisabeth Manship and Pierre Jacard for SUPSI; and Alberto Felici for SABAP. Ottaviano Caruso performed the documentation with UV light; Thierry Radelet, the x-rays and XRF; and, Mattia Mercante, the 3D scans.

“Begun in January 2024, this research is aimed at understanding in more detail how the sculptor, Lorenzo Bartolini, made his plaster models,” stresses Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Florence Academy Gallery “And to characterize the materials used in the different stages of workmanship so that we have a clearer and more complete picture of his creative process. I am very happy to have shared this project, which is so innovative and cutting-edge with two partners like Sabap and Supsi, a really important collaboration and exchange that we hope to carry out with other international museums as well.”

“The collection of the Gipsoteca,” adds Alberto Felici, restorative officer of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the metropolitan city of Florence and the provinces of Pistoia and Prato (Sabap) and curator of the research project, “Is very large. The investigations were conducted on a small but representative selection of models, chosen together with the Direction of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, one can mention here the sepulchral monuments to Leon Battista Alberti and to Vittorio Fossombroni, whose marble works are preserved in the church of Santa Croce. The hope is that, in time, they can be extended to most of the works on display. Ten models have been identified on which investigations have been carried out in depth, while on a larger group of works, about fifteen, diagnostics has been limited to a more circumscribed investigation.”

Florence, results of analysis on Bartolini's plaster casts presented

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