Restoration of the Holy Face, Christ was indifferent from the Cross

(ANSA) – LUCCA, MAY 31 – The restoration of the Holy Face of Lucca, the oldest wood statue in Europe, has reached a really delicate second: as we speak the Physique of Christ has been indifferent from the Cross. With a view to guaranteeing sufficient stability to an imposing work composed of a number of elements, the specialists took steps to detach the physique from the cross, whereas sustaining the present anchoring pin system unchanged. The separation will permit us to additional deepen our information of the development method, additionally as a way to develop the relocation undertaking in Matteo Civitali’s small temple contained in the cathedral. The demanding restoration of the Volto Santo, promoted by the Cathedral Church of San Martino, supported by the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Basis and coordinated by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence in settlement with the Superintendence, started in September 2022. On the finish of the diagnostic marketing campaign, the scientific committee was capable of consider the completely different intervention choices, shared by the marketing committee and geared toward a restitution of the work that will assure respect for its spiritual and devotional worth along with the due consideration in the direction of the fabric of a novel historic artefact. Within the coming months we are going to due to this fact proceed with the elimination of the darkish floor layers, made up of a combination of carbon, drying oils and beeswax which over time have blackened the work, protecting its unique colours and hiding the plasticity of the volumes and the preciousness of the fabric . The darkish blue tunic, manufactured from a compound of lapis lazuli and oil, and the gilding adorned on the sting of the sleeves, the neckline and the hem of the tunic will thus turn out to be legible once more. Christ’s hair and beard will regain their unique yellow/brown colour, giving larger prominence to the modelling. Pores and skin tones will return to have lighter shades as evidenced till the tip of the seventeenth century by the quite a few work and frescoes depicting the Holy Face current within the space. Because of the loss of a giant a part of essentially the most superficial azurite layers of the cross, the dear underlying polychromy might be recovered, which is older, properly preserved and consists of pink pigment with white decorations and lapis lazuli edges. (HANDLE).