Restoration for Simone Martini's masterpiece

After 25 years, Simone Martini ’s Maestà will be restored.

The 14th-century masterpiece that can be admired on the north wall of the Sala del Mappamondo in Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico will undergo conservation maintenance, in particular the patina of dust that has accumulated on the great fresco in recent years will be removed.

The maintenance, which will begin next week, will be accompanied by a research campaign to “analyze mortars and pigments and acquire new scientific data with technologies that did not exist twenty-five years ago. This is a complex work for which Simone Martini took many years, with a period of interruption and with a revision made in 1321, when the great artist added new parts for changes at the iconographic level requested by the City,” so said art historian Alessandro Bagnoli.

Coordinator of the restoration will be Massimo Gavazzi who has already worked on the work in the previous restoration and on Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes; the restorer says,"Visual technical revision of the entire surface. The dust will be removed with soft brushes and a delicate vacuum system, and then we will move on to a visual technical review of the whole surface. We have a great opportunity to deepen our knowledge about this great work characterized by an unusual variety of materials. Simone Martini used painting techniques that have yet to be explored in detail. I am thinking of the use of metal foils and punches. The Maestà, beyond its wonderful visual impact, is truly a rare and complex work."

Siena Mayor Bruno Valentini said that “it is a moral duty to intervene” on the work.

Maintenance has been agreed with the Superintendence of Fine Arts of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo and theUniversity of Siena.

Source: Agenziaimpress

Image: Simone Martini, Majesty (1315; 970 x 763 cm; Siena, Palazzo Pubblico)

Restoration for Simone Martini's masterpiece

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.