After three years of restoration, the extraordinary masterpiece in marble, gilded bronze, and enamelled copper, created by Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia, Ghiberti, and Giovanni di Turino, shines once again.
The Opera della Metropolitana di Siena and the Arcidiocesi di Siena, Colle di Val d’Elsa, and Montalcino are delighted to present the restored Fonte battesimale del Duomo di Siena to the public.
The extraordinary sculptural complex, created by Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia, Ghiberti, and Giovanni di Turino, will be visible again from June 25, after three years of conservation work.
The restoration is the result of a series of highly innovative technical interventions carried out by the staff of the Opera and the highly specialized personnel of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, initially guided by the late Marco Ciatti and subsequently by Emanuela Daffra. Under the supervision of officials from the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto, and Arezzo, initially directed by Andrea Muzzi and currently by Gabriele Nannetti, the personnel from the Opera and the Opificio, with the collaboration of restorers and university professors, have meticulously restored a work born from the genius of the greatest artists of the early 15th century. Various but interconnected interventions have restored to the Church, the City, and the world a central place from both a pastoral and liturgical standpoint, as well as an incomparable masterpiece of immense beauty.
“For a Christian, new life begins with baptism” – emphasized Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, Arcivescovo di Siena – Colle di Val d’Elsa – Montalcino. “The Fonte battesimale del Duomo di Siena has seen many generations of famous and ordinary Sienese ‘born to new life,’ all indelibly linked to this unique city. Today, alongside its strong spiritual and religious significance, we are also returning to the world an absolute masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance.”
“The entire complex of our city’s cathedral” – added Cardinal Lojudice – “is a treasure chest containing immense works of art inspired by the Christian tradition that in Siena and its territories have become the cornerstone of the communities.”
The restoration, funded by the Opera della Metropolitana di Siena, is the result of a real and concrete synergy between the Fabbriceria, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto, and Arezzo, and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence (OPD), which was entrusted with the direction of the restoration. The project was coordinated by art historians Laura Speranza and Riccardo Gennaioli, directors of the OPD’s Bronze Restoration and Stone Materials sectors, respectively. The employees of the Opera del Duomo, especially those in the Technical Area, with support from the Security Area and other departments, actively participated in the necessary conservation activities, including stone restoration performed directly by the Opera’s staff: restorer Andrea Galgani and restoration collaborators Serena Bianchi and Lucrezia Coletta, who, together with external restorer Irene Giovacchini, carried out consolidation and cleaning interventions following the methodological choices of the OPD’s Stone Materials Restoration sector, with restorer Camilla Mancini actively involved and Riccardo Gennaioli, sector director.
At the OPD workshops in Florence, the metal parts were worked on under the technical direction of Stefania Agnoletti, with internal restorers Maria Baruffetti, Annalena Brini, and Elisa Pucci from the Bronze sector led by Laura Speranza. External restorers (Antonio Mignemi, Stefano Casu, Elena della Schiava, and Merj Nesi) were also involved.
Scientific investigations were conducted by OPD (Andrea Cagnini, Monica Galeotti, Simone Porcinai) and a group of external professionals.
A diverse team that operated in close synergy.
The Opera del Duomo’s technical area, directed by architect Enrico De Benedetti, also designed and curated the new layout of the Battistero to improve its reception and usability.
“Maintaining, conserving, restoring, and enhancing the assets entrusted to us. These are some of the institutional tasks of the Opera della Metropolitana di Siena” – stated Rettore Prof. Giovanni Minnucci. – “In this happy occasion, we rigorously adhered to these tasks, as desired by the Consiglio di amministrazione, whom I sincerely thank. Restoring – miraculously – to the Church, the Città di Siena, and the many people who visit the Monumental Complex, a good of enchanting and unparalleled beauty like the Fonte battesimale, has been a mission we have gladly dedicated ourselves to, together with all the Opera’s personnel, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, university professors, and external technicians. We were fully aware, even in light of decisions made by the previous Board, of the unavoidable necessity of unprecedented restoration operations and deeply convinced of the outcomes that the synergy between the many involved, thanks to their respective specific skills, could generate. We are therefore grateful to all those who have, in various capacities, undertaken this endeavor, which undoubtedly contributes to the conservation of a very precious liturgical and artistic asset: a good that will – we are sure – evoke strong emotions and appreciation from all who visit and linger in the Battistero to admire it.”
Located at the center of the Battistero’s architectural structure, the Fonte battesimale is one of the greatest masterpieces within the monumental complex of Duomo di Siena. This extraordinary work in marble, bronze, and enamelled copper was created between 1417 and 1431 by the most important sculptors of the early Renaissance. The Fonte consists of a hexagonal basin with six gilded bronze panels depicting the life of the Baptist, interspersed with statues of virtues, including Fede and Speranza by Donatello. Among the most representative episodes is Lorenzo Ghiberti’s 1427 Battesimo di Gesù, an elegant and refined scene characterized by a pictorial sense of depth achieved through a gradual reduction of relief. The cycle concludes with Donatello’s famous Banchetto di Erode, the most moving scene for its dramatic subject and formal qualities. The Fonte’s importance as a focal point in defining Renaissance principles, and the complexity of the conservation interventions for the gilded bronze works and marble elements, required thorough investigations and significant expertise in planning the restoration.
“Confronting such a complex and significant work in art history is always challenging” – said Emanuela Daffra, Soprintendente dell’OPD. – “In this case, the difficulties were compounded by other factors: the Fonte’s original use as an ‘instrument’ for administering a sacrament, which it still serves today, and the environmental conditions that are not ideal for the preservation of the bronzes. The OPD team embraced the challenge of maintaining both the monument’s completeness and its original function, but this necessitates a program of semi-annual inspections and rigorous monitoring and control of environmental parameters. Only constant attention will allow us to promptly detect signs of degradation and identify the most suitable preventive measures.”
A renowned work, the Fonte coniuga marmi, once enriched with blue and gold polychrome details, and gilded bronzes. The architectural structure is entirely made of two different types of white marble: for the lower register, a veined variety from the Montagnola Senese, and for the tabernacle and the figure of the Baptist, a more homogeneous variety from the Apuan region.
The bronze parts (copper alloy) exhibit a fire gilding amalgam of gold and mercury. The gold was tarnished, surfaces were abraded, and the state of the stone material was rather inconsistent, especially in the lower register compared to the upper part.
To verify the architectural structure’s stability and environmental parameters, two different in-situ investigation campaigns were undertaken: ultrasonic measurements to verify the presence of internal metal anchors and geophysical surveys of the floor to investigate voids or moisture fronts in the archaeological subsoil.
An in-depth diagnostic campaign preceded and accompanied the entire intervention, with initial phases involving the dismantling of the bronze elements to adequately assess the conservation status of the unseen surfaces and address significant alterations otherwise inaccessible.
The intervention allowed observation of Giovanni di Turino’s work (panels Nascita del Battista, Predica del Battista, and Prudenza), revealing ingenious assembly of separately cast portions.
The careful study of Donatello’s Banchetto di Erode panel identified past tension rods applied between the arches above the scene, enhancing the perspective effect and realism of the depicted architecture, featuring three successive spaces.
The stone elements were restored on-site in a workshop set up within the Battistero. Dismantling was complex, and reassembly was equally challenging, requiring the study and creation of new elements and custom joints to adjust the positions of architectural stone elements. The conservation state and the need to make the unseen parts of the panels inspectable for periodic monitoring necessitated the design of a support structure for the stone elements, allowing access to the back of the bronzes without dismantling the marble blocks.
A complex and lengthy job that responsibly considered usability needs: the bronze parts, once restored, were returned to Siena for display in showcases around the scaffolding erected around the Fonte, offering them to visitors. One panel and two Virtue statues (Fede and Speranza) were exhibited at the Florence show Donatello. Il Rinascimento, curated by Francesco Caglioti at Palazzo Strozzi (March 19 – July 31, 2022).
Future needs include environmental monitoring and the adoption of humidity control systems to ensure the best preservation of this masterpiece.
The Battistero can be visited daily
from 10 AM to 7 PM.
For information and reservations: booking@operalaboratori.com – +39 0577 286300
With a visit to the Battistero, entry to the Cattedrale, the Libreria Piccolomini, the Museo dell’Opera, the Panorama dal Facciatone, and the Cripta is included.
Press Office Opera Laboratori
Andrea Acampa 3481755654 a.acampa@operalaboratori.com
Andrea Ceccherini 3392545773 a.ceccherini@operalaboratori.com
Giacomo Luchini 3494942535 g.luchini@operalaboratori.com
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