Antonio Canova's Amorino, one of the most significant and most fragile plaster models in the collection of the Gypsoteca in Possagno — which preserves his works in the iconic museum (whose most recent section was designed by architect Carlo Scarpa) next to the sculptor's home — has been given new life, restored following a complex series of interventions and at the conclusion of a lengthy conservation history.
The work was created in 1785 on commission from Princess Elzbieta Czartoryska Lubomirska, who wanted a portrait of her young nephew Henryk.
The boy, being shy, agreed to pose only for his face, while for the body Canova drew reference from an ancient model. The result was a young Cupid with his bow resting on the ground, his head with flowing locks turned three-quarters and his torso bent toward the tree trunk that serves as his support.
The presentation of the restoration work on the piece is also an opportunity to retrace the conservation history that has been devoted to it over more than ten years.
The Amorino had arrived in Possagno without its head and torso, but in 2013 this gap was filled thanks to a collaboration with the Lubomirski Castle Museum in Łańcut, Poland, which holds the original marble.
Through three-dimensional scanning of the Łańcut sculpture, a faithful cast of the missing parts was obtained, reproduced in plaster via 3D printing and finally assembled to the rest of the sculptural body.
Over the years, however, the sculpture began to show signs of deterioration. For example, small cracks appeared along the contact margins between the original and reconstructed parts, as well as near the ankle, along with deposits and halos on the surface caused by the presence of soluble salts that had remained inside the hollow structure and progressively migrated toward the surface due to fluctuations in humidity, contributing to the degradation of certain areas.
For this reason, a new conservation intervention became necessary, preceded by a series of diagnostic investigations, such as infrared thermography and chemical analyses.
Among the missions of the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, one of the most important is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of its heritage, through ongoing activity founded on research, diagnostics and collaboration with universities, institutions and specialised centres, which allows for deeper study of the works and the places that preserve Antonio Canova's legacy.
In this case, the restoration work on one of the most significant and most fragile plaster models in the collection was carried out with the support of the Musei Civici di Treviso.
