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Tuesday, 17th February 2004 (4960 views)

Restorers working on a famous sculpture of David struck gold when they discovered gold leaf on the statue.<BR/><BR/>Delicate gilding was found in the hair, on the borders of the tunic and on the boots of Andrea del Verrocchio's 15th century model of the biblical hero.<BR/><BR/>Restorers said the cleaning revealed a sculpture that was even more remarkable than admirers had imagined.<BR/><BR/>The gold leaf was cleaned using a surgical laser that could vaporize the wax and varnish that had built up over the years, but not harm the metal.<BR/><BR/>The statue was cleaned in the US as part of a deal with the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence, where the sculpture normally resides.<BR/><BR/>Gary Radke, a professor of fine art at Syracuse University and an expert in Renaissance art, described the end result of the cleaning as remarkable.<BR/><BR/>'Now, you can appreciate every bone and every sinew,' he said. <BR/><BR/>The statue is currently on display in the US before returning to Italy, where it will return to its pedestal in Florence.

 

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