500-year-old 'David' gets a gentle bath

By Frances D'Emilio
The Associated Press

FRANCO ORIGLIA / GETTY IMAGES A few stains remain, but Michelangelo's "David," shown yesterday at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy, was stripped of a layer of grime in a "minimalist intervention."

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

FLORENCE, Italy — Michelangelo's "David" is brighter but hardly spotless after the completion yesterday of a controversial cleaning timed for the 500th birthday of one of the marvels of world art.

Some pale-yellow streaks on the left shin and violet-tinged mold stains on the lower back resisted a "minimalist" restoration of the Renaissance genius' depiction in marble of naked male beauty.

The cleaning of the masterpiece stripped away the grimy, gray patina of decades of dirt and soaked up damaging deposits of chalk in the marble's pores. Chalk attracts moisture, which can then swell and penetrate the stone.

Work resumed in September after an aborted start when the original restorer quit in a dispute over how the statue should be cleaned, sparking alarm from restoration watchdogs abroad, led by Columbia University professor James Beck.

As rays of sun bathed "David" in warm light under the dome of Florence's Accademia Gallery yesterday, Antonio Paolucci, head of the Renaissance city's museums, said the restoration was a "minimalist intervention" that used "harmless, very light substances," such as distilled water and rice paper.

" 'David' is still itself, only what has changed is his luminosity," said restorer Cinzia Parnigoni, who had toiled atop scaffolding for months, applying cellulose pulp and clay to soak away the dirt as tourists gawked.

The statue seems "less cold" now, Parnigoni said. Darkened by grime, " 'David' had lost its verve," she said.

Gallery director Franca Falletti said it was as if "a light-gray veil had been removed" from the masterpiece.

Some discoloration and other spots refused to disappear with the dabbing of cotton swabs.
 
Parnigoni replaced Agnese Parronchi, who had trained with her at Florence's renowned restoration school, Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Parronchi, fearing water could harm the surface, wanted to brush away the dirt in a kind of "dry" cleaning.

"I tried to do my best, but I'm sure someone might not be happy," Parnigoni said.

Parronchi said she hoped to see "David" during the anniversary celebrations. When told restorers had left the stubborn stains in peace, she replied, "Good," but emphasized she couldn't give judgment without seeing the statue.

One of the biggest critics of the restoration was Beck, whose reputation as an art-world bugbear was sealed 20 years ago when he denounced the restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel as too harsh because of the dramatic hues that emerged.

Beck, president of the ArtWatch International restoration-watchdog group, said yesterday that he'd seen the work on "David" a month ago.

"My opinion is it was totally unnecessary," Beck said. "There was nothing valuable in doing it, except public relations."

Money for the restoration, which reportedly cost $500,000, came from Friends of Florence, a U.S.-based nonprofit group, and from a Netherlands-based group, Ars Longa Stichting.

The 13-1/2-foot-tall depiction of the young biblical hero who braved Goliath attracts 1.2 million visitors a year, and experts are studying the patterns of dust kicked up by throngs of tourists to see if air currents in the gallery should be altered.

Since "David" was unveiled before Florence's citizenry Sept. 8, 1504, it has weathered a lot of abuse. In 1527, the statue was damaged during a riot in Piazza Signoria. It was moved from the square to the gallery in 1873. In 1991, an Italian painter smashed the second toe of the left foot with a hammer.

Scientific study before the restoration turned up worrisome fragility of the statue's ankles, which support more than 6 tons. In June, the gallery will host a conference of engineers to study the problem, including whether "David" could survive an earthquake like the one that devastated much of St. Francis Basilica in Assisi.

Birthday celebrations are scheduled to start in September.