Open site at Bologna Archaeological Museum for restoration of rare Etruscan funerary sculpture

Every Wednesday in July, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can witness the open-to-the-public restoration of a rare lion-shaped funerary sculpture at the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna.

The restoration work will last about four weeks and will restore the full-round sandstone funerary sculpture depicting a crouching lion with its jaws wide open dating back to the late 6th century B.C. and coming from the Etruscan necropolis in Bologna’s Giardini Margherita.

The find functioned as a marker, i.e., a plaque placed on the ground to indicate the exact location of a burial: found during excavation campaigns directed by archaeologist Edoardo Brizio between 1887 and 1889, the marker was in two detached fragments, the lion’s head and body, and in this state of preservation it arrived in 1889 in the newly inaugurated Bologna Civic Museum. The head went into storage, while the body was displayed in one of the rooms of the permanent collection housing Etruscan antiquities found in and around Bologna between the mid-19th century and the early decades of the 20th century.

With this restoration operation, made possible thanks to the intervention of theAssociazione Amici del Museo Archeologico di Bologna - Esagono and supported by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna and the Rotary Club of Bologna Sud, the aim is to restore the sculpture’s greatest possible integrity, after cleaning the surfaces and consolidating the stone. Through a minimally invasive operation, the two parts will be reassembled. During the restoration, diagnostic investig ations will be carried out with new techniques to investigate aspects related to the materials and structures of the archaeological artifacts. The results of the investigations may make it possible to gain new insights into the funerary rituals of Etruscan Bologna. Only three specimens of full-round stone funerary lions are known in the Bologna burial grounds, and the one being restored today is the most complete specimen. The feline had an apotropaic function to protect the deceased and as a warning against trespassing by predators and evil-doers.

The so-called open construction site will be held in a box-workshop located among the display cases of the museum’s Egyptian section.

Upon completion of the restoration, the entire sculpture will be permanently relocated to Room X as a prelude to the major exhibition planned for next fall that will be dedicated to the Etruscans.

Open site at Bologna Archaeological Museum for restoration of rare Etruscan funerary sculpture

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.