Le sculture di Mont' e Prama

2014

Il volume 1, a cura di Antonietta Boninu e Andreina Costanzi Cobau, è dedicato alla conservazione e restauro. Il progetto di restauro delle sculture di Mont'e Prama ha costituito un avvincente momento di incontro tra archeologia e conservazione. Attraverso la descrizione dgli interventi realizzati su oltre 5.000 frammenti, è possibile scoprire nei dettagli le sculture musealizzate. Il materiale costitutivo è un calcare segnato dalle complesse vicende subite nel corso di 30 secoli. La descrizione degli interventi, rispondenti ai requisiti di conservazione riconosciuti e condivisi a livello internazionale, è articolata nei saggi e nel DVD allegato, quali strumenti imprescindibili per le integrazioni con gli ulteriori ritrovamenti. Il progetto ha rispettato i diritti di conservazione delle sculture e ha garantito i diritti di partecipazione dei cittadini, allestendo nel 2011, a conclusione dell'intervento, una mostra di tutte le sculture assemblate. Il progetto di conservazione viene presentato in tutte le sue sfaccettature, a salvaguardia degli esiti che, contribuendo a ricostruire il contesto antico, costituiscono le fondamenta per creare lo sviluppo della ricerca su queste sculture, testimoni di scienza e cultura di un'eccezionale Civiltà della Sardegna.

Trying to find the fracture lines between fragments almost exclusively depends on the expertise and talent of conservators, restorers and archaeologists. Although computer tools may help, they’ve never replaced direct observation. This search system used the digital archive of 5,000 fragments and recorded the similarities identified by an expert eye. Close-up observation and the study of details made it possible to join the artefacts thanks to morphological, typological and iconographic similarities. It was possible to identify and recognise the similarities by looking at the alterations on every fragment; these alterations were often hidden by events which, for each fragment, had altered the outer appearance in a nonhomogeneous manner. The history of the sculptural fragments speaks of abandonment, fire, burial, water erosion, ploughing, tillage, breakages…Trying to find the facture lines involved recognising the similarities despite the alterations, making it possible to put the pieces together and recreate the sculptural “ensembles”. The greatest challenge was to recognise, recreate and name each ensemble; it involved continuous comparison between the archaeological facts and the technical data provided by the restorers. By joining two or more fragments we were able to identify the specific traits of the ensemble based on the type of decoration, form, fracture, break, burn, superficial or structural alteration, biodeterioration, and anomaly. We used the type of link between the two fragments to identify three different “fracture lines” – correspondence, pertinence or ascription – which correspond to three different assembly and exhibition techniques. No pins or new holes were used to assemble the fragments in line with the principle of conservation based on minimum intervention and respect for the original material.

CCA Centro di Conservazione Archeologica, 2011

Le sculture di Mont' e Prama costituiscono una manifestazione molto significativa dell'arte antica e la loro conservazione, assieme allo studio e alla divulgazione dei dati raccolti, sono stati il presupposto del Progetto Prenda 'e Zenia, concepito con l'obiettivo di facilitare il passaggio dei 5178 frammenti lapidei dallo stato di singoli reperti a quello di attori protagonisti del patrimonio culturale mediterraneo. 5178 frammenti, un totale di 9117 Kg il più pesante: 222 Kg i più piccoli: 0,001 Kg 8 frammenti con peso maggiore di: 150 Kg 1883 frammenti di statue Kg. 5798 776 frammenti di modelli di nuraghe Kg. 2870 2519 frammenti indeterminati Kg. 413 15 teste 27 frammenti relativi a busti 176 frammenti relativi a braccia 95 frammenti relativi a mano 121 frammenti relativi a placca pettorale 784 frammenti relativi a scudi 228 frammenti relativi a arco ed elementi ricurvi 143 frammenti relativi a gambe, polpacci e caviglie 116 frammenti relativi a basamento e piedi 1202 frammenti incollati 6178 Kg di questi frammenti: 788 frammenti assemblati in 262 insiemi 414 frammenti montati su supporto Kg 5368 38 sculture montate su supporto, la più pesante pesa Kg 330 di queste 38 sculture: 32 sculture sono il risultato di 414 frammenti assemblati 6 sculture sono un frammento unico 5 arcieri 4 guerrieri 16 pugilatori 13 modelli di nuraghe 15 teste di cui 13 attribuite alle sculture montate 42 piedi di cui 25 attribuiti alle sculture montate 5178 Frammenti Documentazione Restauro Conservazione 4 5

When the search for fracture lines was concluded and the fragments assembled on their supports, the overall result (including the non-assembled fragments) provided extensive data despite the fact that no sculpture was complete. When all the sculptures are in one place it’s easier to identify the different typologies, adjusting and recreating the missing parts. This reconstructive memory varies according to the context or, in this case, on how much the sculptures offer the human eye. Virtual restoration turns what the human brain is only able to elaborate into something real. But that’s not all; it overcomes the limits of the panorama available to the human eye by considering all data available for reconstruction. A one-of-a-kind virtual restoration was possible thanks to the numerous fragments available and the sculptures assembled on supports. After a 3D scansion and manipulation of the existing volumes we were able to reconstruct – without using hypothetical iconographic references – the figures of the archer, boxer and warrior, as well as the model of the quadrilobed or polylobed nuraghe; the result was a virtual assembly of real fragments. The 5,178 fragments were an excellent and unique collection with which to perform virtual restoration. We were able to integrate the data and make it more or less perceivable and yet continue to respect the characteristics of the materials; it was also possible to use the same methodological principals of real restoration for this virtual restoration project. Since virtual restoration is a digital elaboration it provides multiple fruition and increases enhancement. 3D scans provide accurate but lightweight copies of the originals; digital elaborations also allow parameters to be changed, for example the rotation or lighting of the sculptures on a 1:1 scale.

This conservation and restoration project turned fragments into sculptures; it also included a laboratory in which more than 5,000 artefacts were classified, cleaned and consolidated. These interventions never became routine and were always carried out bearing in mind the uniqueness of each fragment. This is important because every intervention involves manipulation and close-up observation of the artefact; the conservator/restorer comes into contact with the original material and studies the stratigraphy of the superficial alterations, the consistency of the encrustations, and the inhomogeneous abrasions. It’s clear that every intervention helps to build – piece by piece, fragment by fragment – the enormous puzzle illustrating the history of these sculptures. Every intervention is a unique opportunity; when it is based on curiosity rather than standard practice it can help to understand even the most recondite data. While numbering the fragments, which was done on the fracture areas, we were able to identity the most recent breaks. During the cleaning process we also linked alveolisation to the structure of the stone material, carbonate layers of earth to the time it was buried, more or less obvious abrasions to ploughing, and chromatic alterations to the application of protective materials applied immediately after excavation. During assembly we were able to identify older fractures from more recent ones. The interventions are described in the same order as they were carried out. After the first operation (classification of the artefacts) the reader can follow subsequent operations: cleaning, removal of salts, consolidation, assembly, and mounting on support material. Each operation is illustrated in detail and explanations are provided regarding the reasons for each decision. An important step in the restoration process involved identifying and understanding the degradation mechanisms of the stone surfaces. Cleaning and consolidation methods were chosen based on the type of degradation, as were the environmental characteristics required to preserve the sculptures in the best possible condition. No protective layer was applied during final treatment of the stone because the sculptures will be exhibited in an indoor museum environment.

Collecting data produced during the restoration project is called documentation. To fulfil this task linked to the “manipulation” of 5,000 fragments, we developed a digital archive. Every fragment was numbered and recorded with a photo in the database so that all the data collected could be cross-referenced. Every fragment and assembled sculpture was drawn to scale thanks to a technical drawing performed using three different techniques: direct drawing of the artefact, graphic transcription of the photograph, and digital elaboration of the 3D scansion. The technical drawing were used in the graphic elaborations, the mappings. The latter included all the data that could be graphically transcribed based on the terminology and graphics classified by the Normal Commission (NORmalisation Stone MAterial) and classified according to three different analytic types: the state of conservation, the technical and historical characteristics, and the restoration intervention. Documentation is a summarised version of the data collected through direct observation by the conservators-restorers during the current restoration intervention; thanks to this summarised version, the artefacts can be placed in a broader context. For example it was possible to provide a unitary interpretation of the features found only in some sculptures and analysed in detail. The graphic documentation, together with the photographs and videos, provides detailed threedimensional images of the sculptures; at the same time, it ensures that their message is preserved in the future thanks to all the data collected and recorded during restoration. Every noteworthy detail, each unique feature, every finishing touch or retouch has been recorded graphically and/or digitally so that it can be accessed and understood even by those not directly involved with the restoration. Alessandro Melucco once wrote: it’s not overdramatic to say that the lack of good documentation often betrays an unsatisfactory philological dimension in the approach and implementation of a restoration project (MELUCCO VACCARO, 1989). We could add that satisfactory documentation not only ensures that the collected data is disseminated, but also that it fulfils the main goal of every conservation project, especially the Prenda ‘e Zenia project: to allow the sculptures to transmit their cultural message in an easy and universal manner.

The restoration and conservation project was organised and planned to be a public cultural event. Activities were organised during the restoration to disseminate as much information as possible. While the worksite was set up to allow guided visits, the laboratory was turned into a museum and we also inaugurated a website www.monteprama.it, created and managed by the CCA. During restoration the website provided information about ongoing activities and also published a weekly worksite report. Free online documentation allowed the public to be constantly updated and led to a greater team spirit amongst the restorers. One goal of the website was to show the public the activities which are normally difficult to imagine because they are usually performed in a laboratory/museum and, since they are hidden, often distance the public from something which belongs to them. Posters and flyers about initiatives relating to the restoration were also distributed. A brochure was printed illustrating the restoration and a small interactive pamphlet was given to visiting students; the pamphlet included a form they could use to participate in a drawing competition entitled The Poster I want. The students were asked to draw a poster illustrating the restoration and conservation of the sculptures. Participation was far greater than expected: thanks to the goodwill, training and skills of the teachers who discussed the visit in the classroom, students of all ages sent in very beautiful drawings. The closure of the worksite coincided with the award ceremony; the drawings were judged and chosen by a panel of experts: Gonaria Demontis, Pietro Longu, Roberto Nardi, Anna Sanna, as well as special guest Gaël De Guichen, an authority in the field of cultural heritage communication.

Viene descritto lo scavo e le modalità con cui venne effettuato, indicando le azioni e le attività individuate, anche a seguito della rivisitazione della documentazione completa degli interventi succedutisi (Bedini, Ferrarese Ceruti-Tronchetti, Tronchetti). Viene così ricostruita la situazione stratigrafica del complesso e presentata una ipotetica proposta di ricostruzione basata sugli elementi materiali rinvenuti e su più ampi confronti mediterranei, che permettono di inquadrare il fenomeno della statuaria connesso alla necropoli nell'ambito dell'Orientalizzante antico.

La descrizione dell’intervento di documentazione, conservazione, e musealizzazione sulle sculture di Mont’e Prama, realizzato dal CCA, Centro di Conservazione Archeologica dal 2007 al 2011 Ferrara 2009