Livorno Torso restored and back on display

The Livorno Torso, one of the famed sculptures in the “Great Bronzes” of the Medici family collection, is back on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Florence after two years of conservation.

The torso has been part of the Medici collections since at least the rule of Cosimo I (Duke of Florence 1537-1569, Grand Duke of Tuscany 1569-1574). It was famous in the 16th century and beyond for its rarity and large scale, appearing in Johann Zoffany’s famous 18th c. painting The Tribuna of the Uffizi that crams in dozens of ancient, Renaissance art works in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.

Despite its fame, the origins of the sculpture are shrouded in mystery. It was said to have been pulled from the sea off the coast of Livorno, hence the name, but there are no records of such an event, and scholars have long debated its real history, how it entered the collection, whether it was a Greek original or a Roman copy.

Funded by the Friends of Florence, the comprehensive restoration had the budget to analyze the metal alloy and the production techniques using state-of-the-art technology, including neutron imaging at the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France. This was the first time the technology has been used on a monumental bronze sculpture.

Researchers confirmed that the sculpture spent a significant period underwater, a conclusion supported by evidence found during the restoration. The work also revealed traces of marine deposits and shell remains preserved inside the bronze.

As with many bronzes from the Medici collections, the sculpture was covered by dark surface coatings applied in later centuries. Removing these layers allowed conservators to address corrosion issues and recover variations in the original appearance of the metal surface.

The restoration team also designed a new display support that will improve the torso’s long-term structural stability.

After it spends the summer in its home museum, on September 25 the Livorno Torso will be displayed at Palazzo Strozzi in its new exhibition dedicated to the cultural significance of incomplete or damaged works. Broken. The Power of the Fragment runs through January 24, 2027.

 

* This article was originally published here