THE PRESERVATION WORKSITE Anne Shari Napoli
4 anneshari.napoli@cores4n.com www.cores4n.com
Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano. Restoration of the spire Gugliotto Amadeo The “Gugliotto Amadeo” (Amadeo Spire), built (1507 – 1518) during the Sforza period by the architect Giovanni Antonio Amadeo is in correspondence of the “Guglia del tiburio”, one of the pylons of the lantern that supports the “Guglia Maggiore” (Greater Spire). The spikes were born as counterforts but over the years they were transformed and got enriched by many decorations, especially statues. The “Gugliotto Amadeo” in particular, executed in the greater part in Candoglia marble, shows many decorations and geometrical patterns in Verona red marble and slate and has a passage that links it directly to the lantern. Its state of conservation was mediocre: the typical colour of the Candoglia marble was completely covered by a layer of dark substances caused by the deposit of particulate and pollution and has been influenced by the exposure to atmospheric agents. Especially in correspondence with the ornaments, the statues, the pinnacles and the projecting decorations the spire has been affected by cracks. This led to a total or partial loss of the volumetric plasticity of the artefacts. The remaining part of the deterioration encountered is to be assigned to the aging of previous interventions dated back to the 60’s: in fact, the mortar used to fill the joints of the marble blocks appeared yellowed and detached from its support.
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