FLORENCE, ITALY – A fragile river god by Michelangelo has been restored after lying neglected in a basement storeroom below Casa Buonarroti in Florence for some 50 years.
It was funded by some 32,000 euros from the not-for-profit foundation Friends of Florence.
The statue, whose bronze coating was removed and deteriorated earthenware structure was restored to its original marble over three years, will soon be displayed in a major Renaissance show at Palazzo Strozzi before finding a home at Florence’s Academy of Art and Design.
The restoration was led by Rosanna Moradei and took place at Florence’s elite restoration workshop, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.