Two funerary busts from the
2nd-3rd century AD, both icons of the damaged art of the Syrian
town of Palmyra that were saved "in extremis" in 2015 from the
city's now-destroyed museum, have for the first time left their
homes to be temporarily entrusted to Italy for restoration work.
The busts - a male and a female - reached Italy after an
adventurous journey across borders and checkpoints, thanks to an
agreement between Italy's "Incontro di Civiltà" (Meeting of
Civilisations) Association and the Directorate for Antiquities
in Damascus.
The male bust has damage to the face due to hammer blows
inflicted upon it by ISIS, but restorers are preparing a
sophisticated 3D print with sintering of nylon powders that will
give it back its delicate aristocratic features.
The female bust has been restored fragment by fragment, with
a veil that covers the head and jewels that hold a cape on the
shoulder.
The busts were on display at an exhibition at the Colosseum
titled "Reborn from Destruction: Ebla, Nimrud, Palmyra" and are
now in the hands of the High Institute for Conservation and
Restoration (ISCR), which will return them to Syria at the end
of the month.
Former Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli, who also served as
Italy's culture minister and deputy prime minister, heads the
Incontro di Civiltà Assocation, and called the restoration "a
miraculous little operation".
He said the exhibition would continue to other capital cities
in the future.
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