Venetian Heritage is the institutional guest of the 33rd Edition of the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze (Palazzo Corsini, 28 September – 6 October 2024). On this special occasion, the Foundation presents the ongoing restoration, at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, of the papier-mâché sculpture Madonna col Bambino e due putti, attributed to Jacopo Sansovino, which came from the Ospizio delle Muneghette in Venice. The sculptural group was found in a state of total degradation and is owned by IPAV (Istituzioni Pubbliche di Assistenza Veneziane).
The Madonna col Bambino e due putti underwent an initial restoration in the 1970s, which only partially solved the sculpture’s structural problems. Made of papier-mâché, it is hollow inside and extremely delicate. Currently, a meticulous conservation intervention is underway at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, aimed not only at a new aesthetic presentation but also at solving the sculpture’s structural problems.
The restoration of the sculpture has been made possible thanks to a donation from Eduardo A. Braniff, Board Member of Venetian Heritage. We also extend our thanks to ARTE Generali and Arterìa for their support as technical sponsors for the exhibition of the artwork at BIAF.