10 Oct 2016

Shrine of Our Lady of the Guard, Tortona (Italy) – The gilded sculpture goes back to its brightness

More than sixty years later its realization, the sculpture representing the Virgin Mary with Christ Child finally goes back to its brightness, illuminating the city of Tortona (Italy) from the top of the cathedral bell tower. In fact, on September 2016 Studio Reduzzi finished the restoration works of the sculpture, which consisted of an ex novo gilding of its entire surface (more than 200 square meters).

In short time it will be published online a detailed description of the entire work, which will illustrate the various executive phases with a rich photo gallery.

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© Opera Don Orione, Tortona (Italy)

20 Jun 2016

Shrine of Our Lady of the Guard, Tortona (Italy) – Studio Reduzzi started the restoration works of the gilded sculpture

On June 2016 Studio Reduzzi started the restoration works of the sculpture Mater Dei, representing the Virgin Mary with Christ Child. This 14 meters high sculpture is placed on the top of the cathedral bell tower, that measures more than 60 meters high.

The sculpture was commissioned in the second half of the Fifties by Saint Luigi Orione to the Italian artist Narciso Cassino. It was realized in bronze by Fonderia Artistica Battaglia (Milan, Italy) and then gilded with 24 karats genuine gold leafs for its entire surface. In the course of time, the adverse weather conditions damaged the golden film, consuming it and producing the loss of some parts of it. These typical degradation phenomena caused relevant problems for the conservation and the security of the sculpture itself, for which it was necessary to plan and to realize a preservative intervention.

After careful diagnostic studies, Studio Reduzzi designed the restoration and, after the approval of the Superintendent of Fine Arts for Turin, started the executive phase of the works.