Head of Medusa stolen a century ago to be restored

A 16th century marble sculpture of a head of woman known as the Head of Medusa that was stolen from a nymphaeum outside Florence more than a century ago and recently recovered by authorities will be restored by Florence’s prestigious conservation institution, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

The head was originally part of Fonte della Fata Morgana, a garden structure on the grounds of the Villa Il Riposo in the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli four miles southeast of Florence. It was built by Bernardo Vecchietti, banker and advisor to dukes Cosimo I and Francesco I de’ Medici, in the 1570s as an arcadian retreat for the family’s summer home. Dedicated to Morgan Le Fay (Fata Morgana in Italian), it was designed by Medici court sculptor Giambologna who lived with Vecchietti for several years.

The Fonte was built on ancient spring and included a nymphaeum dug out a hill and a grotto enclosed in a building of pink plaster with white stone doorways and windows. There’s a black and white pebble mosaic floor inside that spells out “Fata Morgana” and an inscription on the wall that invites the reader to drink from the rejuvenating waters of the fountain. The fountain is still there, but the statue of Morgan Le Fay made by Giambologna personally was removed from the fountain by 1730. It was still in the villa until the 1760s when it was sold to an English art dealer in Florence. He sold it to an unknown private collector and it disappeared until 1989, when it emerged at an auction. Last year it was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Head of Medusa, which was probably another depiction of Morgan Le Fay but her curls were misinterpreted as snakes, was one of the other decorative sculptures in the Fonte. It was illegally removed in the early 20th century and was lost for more than 100 years until it suddenly reappeared in an auction a few months ago. The Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of the Carabinieri returned it to the municipality which owns the Fonte and therefore all its contents.

The town asked the Opificio to care for the Head after years of neglect with the goal of ensuring its long-term stability so it can go on public display. The Opificio’s stone experts will analyze it thoroughly using non-invasive methods to diagnose its condition and conservation needs.

Once the Head of Medusa is restored, it will be exhibited at the Bargello National Museum pending a full restoration of the nymphaeum. Right now the Fonte is not in condition to house the original sculpture, but a copy will be installed in its place.

* This article was originally published here