The equestrian monument to Donatello’s Gattamelata will be restored: the bronze work, dated to the mid-15th century, is located in the churchyard of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio di Padova and requires urgent maintenance. This was announced by the Pontifical Delegation of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio in Padua, specifying that the financial support (around one million euros) will come from the American non-profit organizations Friends of Florence and Save Venice, in particular with the main support of the patrons Jon and Barbara Landau, with support from Stacy Simon. It will thus be possible to begin the delicate restoration work on the monument, its stone base and the original reliefs in 2025.
The Gattamelata statue is the first life-size cast bronze equestrian monument since classical antiquity. Built between 1447 and 1453, it occupies a prominent position in the square in front of the Basilica del Santo of Padua where the captain general of the Venetian army was buried in 1458. From the findings of the diagnostic campaign, the bronze surfaces of the Gattamelata statue show forms of degradation common to copper alloy monuments exposed outdoors, including the so-called “bronze cancer”, a form of corrosion that affects copper alloys. In this process, cuprous chloride reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid, which in turn attacks and corrodes the bronze, intensifying the degradation of the copper.
Perhaps due to the difficulty involved in casting an equestrian statue of this size, Donatello divided the monument into 36 pieces, thus increasing the structural instability of both the horse and the rider. The base, made of trachyte and Istrian stone, is also deteriorated, due to continuous exposure to the elements and the deterioration of the cement mortars applied during a previous restoration intervention.
On behalf of the Pontifical Delegation, in the spring of 2023, the restoration company Nicola Salvioli carried out an initial survey of the monument. The close inspections involved an in-depth autopsy and microscopic inspection of the surface, endoscopy inside the bronze and the opportunity for photographic campaign. The collection of many detectable data regarding the execution technique and the state of conservation of the entire monument was graphically recorded on 3D models from which a series of summary tables were extrapolated for a first evaluation of the actual state of Donatello’s work. From here the commitment continued with operational assistance in the diagnostic phases conducted by Ciba of the University of Padua on behalf of the Padua Abap Superintendency, identifying analysis points and sampling material to be analyzed relating to the most obvious problems.
Furthermore, in the context of the studies currently underway to develop the restoration project of the statue, an undoubtedly relevant aspect is the determination of the structural behavior of the monument, so as to define its current state, both in static conditions and in the event of an event. seismic, as for the purposes of identifying cautious procedures in the delicate phases of moving the artefact for carrying out further investigations aimed at restoration in a protected environment. The fragility and signs of time clearly visible in some portions of the statue have emerged, both due to construction methods and degradation, and due to possible past manipulations (for example the removals and repositionings that already took place during the war period), and it will be necessary to take particular care specifically in defining the restoration project.
In the light of the evidence, the restoration of the Gattamelata equestrian monument and the base appears necessary and functional to preserve the work for present and future generations during all phases of the preliminary investigation.
“On behalf of the Pontifical Delegation of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio I express my deepest gratitude to the two Foundations Friends of Florence and Save Venice, for the generosity with which they have chosen to financially support the interventions that will be necessary to take care of the equestrian monument of Gattamelata – said Father Antonio Ramina, rector of the Paduan Sanctuary – It goes without saying that Donatello’s work is one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian art, which deserves to be preserved for generations to come the future requires the conclusion of the analyzes on the monument, in view of the restoration interventions that will take place, taking advantage of what has already been accomplished by the Superintendence, the University of Padua and the Central Institute with the hope that it can continue in the dialogue between the different institutions we hope to be able to make the most of the resources that the Foundations will make available for this common objective”.
“Friends of Florence has been following Donatello’s enlightened path for 25 years. During the programs we organize for our supporters we often study and visit Donatello’s Gattamelata as an example of the genius of this artist who, with his art, inspired entire generations of sculptors after him – declared Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence – We are happy to return to collaborate with Save Venice, with whom we have already worked in 2016 on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1966 flood. With the support to the restoration of the equestrian statue of Gattamelata, we can continue this beautiful synergy that sees us together again in the anniversary year for the first 25 years of Friends of Florence and for the 50 years of Save Venice. We are two foundations supported by donors in total the world who care about art, history and beauty and are committed to safeguarding cultural heritage for present and future generations. We are immensely grateful to our donor and advisor Stacy Simon, the only supporter from Friends of Florence and. We also thank the Pontifical Delegation of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio, the Municipality of Padua and the Superintendency for their availability and hospitality”.
“In over fifty years of supporting conservative interventions, Save Venice has had the privilege of restoring numerous works of art of international importance – underlined Frederick Ilchman, president of Save Venice – The next work in this long series — among the most famous in Western art – it is the equestrian monument of Donatello’s Gattamelata in Padua. Our organization has long been committed to the protection of Donatello’s work, having financed the restoration of his Saint John the Baptist in the Basilica dei Frari in 1972 and, this this year, a further maintenance intervention. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Save Venice is now able to preserve extraordinary works not only in Venice, but throughout the Veneto. We are deeply grateful to Jon and Barbara Landau, whose generous support allows Save Venice to collaborate with Friends of Florence to restore the Gattamelata, a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance”.
This important partnership, which will in fact allow us to carry out the final project and thus plan the start of the works in the first months of next year, was presented today via live streaming from the Foreign Press Room in Rome at Palazzo Grazioli and from the of the Theological Study of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio in Padua.
Speaking from Rome were Father Antonio Ramina, rector of the Pontifical Basilica of Sant’Antonio di Padova, representing the Pontifical Delegation; Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence with Melissa Conn, director of the Venice office of Save Venice; the restorer of the work Nicola Salvioli – already involved by the Pontifical Delegation in the first fact-finding survey to map the problems of the monument – and the engineers Filippo Casarin and Marco Mocellini appointed by the Pontifical Delegation to identify the most appropriate procedures for the delicate phases of handling the artefact during future investigations aimed at restoration.
Andrea Colasio, Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Padua, spoke in connection from Padua; Vincenzo Tinè, Abap superintendent for the Metropolitan Area of Venice and the provinces of Belluno, Padua and Treviso; Giovanna Valenzano, director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua who framed the work historically and artistically.