The
task of restorers is to revive dilapidated and damaged works of art. This work
is creative but not at all simple: one wrong move and the masterpiece is
ruined. Unfortunately, mistakes are inevitable.
We
at Viral HO have collected some sensational cases where restoration went
wrong.
1. A spoiled fresco
The
most sensational case of an unsuccessful restoration occurred in Spain.
80-year-old Cecilia Jimenez volunteered to restore the mural with the image of
Jesus in a local cathedral. But for some reason, it did not look like the
original at all. Perhaps the elderly woman’s eyesight failed her.
You
can argue endlessly whether Cecilia is to blame or not. On the one hand, the
fresco was spoiled. On the other, the cathedral became known worldwide, and
Cecilia is now called the new Goya.
2.
Fresco characters lost their eyes
Restoration
of frescoes in the Sistine Chapel was the most extensive restoration work of
the twentieth century. But many art critics believe it was unsuccessful.
When
the masters were clearing the soot, they touched the top layer of the frescoes
— those with corrections by Michelangelo himself. As a result, some of the
characters even lost their eyes.
3. Berlusconi’s fantasy
In
2010, workers installed statues of Mars and Venus (circa 175 AD) in front of
the residence of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The statues had been
found with missing body parts.
Berlusconi
ordered them to be restored. It turned out okay, but art critics did not
appreciate the Prime Minister’s impulse. It is believed that remodeling
monuments however one pleases is akin to vandalism because we do not know how
the figures looked originally. After this criticism, Mars and Venus were
returned to their initial state.
4. A lightened painting
The
Virgin and Child with St. Anne by Leonardo da Vinci was restored and came out
much lighter. If earlier it was cloudy dark shades that prevailed, now the
painting is dominated by bright colors, as if the action takes place on a sunny
day. According to experts, this is contrary to da Vinci’s vision.
Some
experts of the Louvre Committee even quit their jobs in protest against such a
restoration. But is the work of restorers really so bad?
5. Unrecognizable Lenin
Every
city in Russia has a Lenin statue. But the one in Krasnodar Krai was unlucky.
After the restoration, it acquired a disproportionately long hand and someone
else’s face.
It
turns out the monument had such a look for a long time, but the photos did not
circulate until 2016. The story even appeared on central television, after
which the leader of the world proletariat got a makeover.
6. The Great Wall of China
The
Great Wall of China is the largest architectural monument on Earth, and,
unfortunately, it is also slowly decaying.
Several
years ago, restorers unsuccessfully reconstructed one of the most beautiful
sections of the 780-meter-long wall, simply covering it with a layer of
concrete.
The
case is currently being investigated, and the rest of the wall will be restored
more carefully.
7. Castle of Matrera
The
reconstruction of the ancient fortress of Matrera in Spain was very
controversial: the tower began to look too modern. It turned out that the
restorer, Carlos Quevado, wanted to make it clear which parts of the fortress
are new and which ones are ancient.
By
the way, Architizer, an authoritative community of architects, took the side of
Quevado. But the locals still weren’t happy.
8. Tutankhamun’s beard
In
2014, an employee of the Cairo Museum dropped a 30-pound (10 kg) golden mask of
Tutankhamun, and the beard broke off from the relic. Instead of going to the
professionals, the woman turned to her husband, a restorer.
He
stuck the beard back on with superglue. What’s more, he chose the wrong angle.
At the same time, he stained Tutankhamun’s chin with glue and decided to scrape
it off, making scratches. Fortunately, the mask has recently been restored
properly.
9. A baby with someone else’s head
The
sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus in Sudbury, Canada, once suffered
at the hands of vandals: the baby’s head was chipped off and stolen.
Artist
Heather Wise volunteered to make a new head, but the result of her work looked
more than strange and provoked discontent among the locals.
But
in the end, Heather’s actions played a positive role: the man who stole the
real head got embarrassed and brought it back. The sculpture was restored.
10. Afterword
It
is worth noting that cases of unsuccessful art restoration are rare. Countless
works of masters of the past have survived to today thanks to the painstaking
work of restorers. One of the good examples is this sculpture of an angel on
St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Source: Brightside.me