A Research Survey into Stucco Decorations and Clay Statues (Part 3)
The Japan Centre for International Cooperation in Conservation is involved in a research survey on stucco decoration and clay statues under the research project “Technology for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage” program.
As part of this project, we visited Florence from February 26 to March 2 and from March 10 to March 12, 2024, to carry out a survey of a statue by the late Renaissance and Mannerist sculptor Giambologna, ‘Florence triumphant over Pisa,’ in collaboration with the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Florence.
This work, which is currently on display in the Hall of the Five Hundred in Palazzo Vecchio facing Piazza della Signoria, was originally created as a prototype for a work in marble, and a marble work based on it is on display at the National Museum of the Bargello. In this study, the shapes of the two pieces were compared using 3D scanning as part of the verification of the production technique. In the future, the research will move on to focus on the internal structure, which is important for the production of the clay statues.
There are many clay statues existing in Japan and overseas, but surprisingly, methods for their conservation and restoration have not yet been established. We will continue our activities with the notion that relevant research surveys will lead to the development of conservation and restoration methods.