Spain restored by Michelangelo with nylon, magnets and … – HOWEVER

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CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

The sculpture of San Juanito, only by Michelangelo in Spain, holds 40% of its original composition. Photo: EFE

Concha Barrigós

Madrid, March 30 (EFE) .- Nylon, magnets, stainless steel, “scanners”. 3D and laser have replaced 60% of marble that Michelangelo used 520 years ago to carve a sculpture of San Juanito, only that it exists in Spain and today has been presented at the Prado, after the “restitution” of their 130 centimeters beauty.

The Ducal House of Medina-Sevilla Foundation owns the piece, sculpted in 1495 by a young Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), moved to Spain in 1537, destroyed the July 26, 1936 in the bombing of the Capilla del Salvador Ubeda (south), carried the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence for its restoration in 1995 and repaid to Spain in 2013.

Thanks to the initiative the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado and its “Invited work” San Juanito (“San Juan Bautista Child”) can be seen from today until June 28 on “the main Spanish cultural institution” in the words of Ignatius Medina, duke of Segorbe and president of the Foundation Medicinaceli.

De Medina explained that the Florentine Opificio accepted “the double challenge” to restore from the 14 fragments that were found in the original sculpture and do it with a criterion allowing the best of the “refunds”.

“We have employed a pioneer to achieve technical, and, in parallel, Francesco Caglioti did a study that proves without doubt, as had Manuel Gómez Moreno intuited in 1930, authorship, “said the Duke.

De Medina acknowledged he was” very nervous “until the Italian confirmed that indeed that work” absurdly mistreated “had left “flare” of Michelangelo.

For the Prado director Miguel Zugaza, the exhibition is “a historic event”.

The sculpture is exhibited in the Museo del Prado. Photo: EFE

The director of the department of Materials Pétreos the Opificio, Cristina Improta, stated that, Although the Florentine workshop is one of the world’s best restoration, have taken “as much” because they have “magic wand”.

Therefore, he said, when in 1995 they reached the 14 fragments ie, 40% of the original sculpture, were subjected to “many” analyzes and studies, but it was not until 2011 when they were offered the “technological advantage” that would allow “a successful intervention.”

The first was to make a 3D modeling, pre-scan each piece, then a replica was created to display the lost volumes, reproduced with nylon and fiberglass fragments and mounted with stainless steel bolts fitted between the legs and the tree trunk on which rests San Juanito.

Another complication was the assembly of the head and arms, but got “a perfect fit” with an “unprecedented” magnet system.

His “great hope” is that, in future, to recover other fragments, and since all the material that has been used for restitution is “reversible and retractable” will be “easy” remove and replace the marble.

In the piece, which will be returned to the Capilla del Salvador, but now exhibited in the sacristy, are detected “perfectly” because that is wanted, the “refund” of San Juanito, whose destruction is “blame” the CNT Linares, although “we do not know” for sure, as the director of the Medinaceli Foundation, Juan Manuel Albendea.