Statuaria – The King's Gallery Statue Documentation and Conservation Project

Coordinator: Johannes Auenmüller

Team: Sara Aicardi, Eleonora Furgiuele, Federico Taverni

Partner institutions: Politecnico di Torino (PoliTO); Vatican Museums (for the Sekhmet Project, launched in 2017)

The project involves the documentation, study, conservation and, where necessary, restoration of the monumental statues displayed in the King’s Gallery of the Museo Egizio, through advanced diagnostic techniques, 3D scanning, multispectral imaging and digital epigraphy. The work initiated with the Sekhmet Project (2017) in collaboration with the Vatican Museums also continues.

The project aims to systematically document and assess the state of conservation of the monumental stone sculptures of the King’s Gallery, with particular attention to granodiorite statues, to plan safe handling, restoration and display strategies. At the same time, it seeks to produce a complete digital epigraphic documentation of all statues, integrating high-resolution 3D scans, multispectral imaging and archaeometric analyses. The long-term objective is to define a reproducible diagnostic protocol for mapping and monitoring the conservation conditions of large-scale stone sculptures, also applicable to future handling and loans.

The project combines non-invasive diagnostics and digital epigraphy. Conservation assessment makes use of Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and ultrasonic CT scans to investigate the internal structure of the sculptures, and 3D scanning with structured blue-light scanners (3D resolution up to 0,1 mm) to map crack patterns before and after handling through comparison of distance maps. For epigraphic documentation, high-definition 3D photogrammetry, multispectral imaging and ultra-high-resolution digital drawing are employed. Restoration interventions (cleaning, consolidation, aesthetic presentation) are preceded by photographic and multispectral documentation campaigns and, in more complex cases, by non-invasive and, where possible, micro-invasive diagnostic investigations. These analyses make it possible to define and characterize original materials, execution techniques, degradation products and materials applied during previous restorations, as well as to monitor the different intervention phases to identify the most appropriate methodological approach. When conservation needs have required it, the most advanced conservation technologies have been employed, such as nanostructured cleaning systems and laser instruments, allowing for highly selective and controlled interventions.

The project has already produced significant results in the diagnostic and conservation fields: Ground-Penetrating Radar and ultrasonic CT analyses have been carried out on 28 granodiorite statues, 3D scans of the entire collection and multispectral photogrammetry of the statue of Ramesses II (Cat. 1380), as well as the restoration of statues Cat. 87 and Cat. 768 on the occasion of the reopening of the King’s Gallery in 2024. In terms of publications, an article on the statue of Sekhmet Provv. 3865 has been published in Rivista del Museo Egizio (2025), while a scientific contribution on the statue of Ramesses II is planned for 2027/28. Within the course of the project, further restoration interventions (in 2026 the two monumental sphinxes coming from the Temple of Mut at Karnak), the completion of the 3D documentation and digital epigraphy of the entire collection, and the publication of a popular volume on the King’s Gallery (2030) are scheduled.

Links

Auenmüller, Johannes, “A ‘New’ Sekhmet Statue in Turin: Fragment Provv. 3864”, Rivista del Museo Egizio  9 (2025); https://doi.org/10.29353/rime..6967

Lecture “Rethinking the Museo Egizio’s ‘Statuario’”, held on 24 September, 2024: https://youtu.be/uhfxQTByQ3M?si=lrdZaBYiz29yTkGV

Video: https://youtu.be/_2EGUMt2aQQ?si=4zs7Fa4A4BlCt9ht

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Statuaria – The King's Gallery Statue Documentation and Conservation Project

Statuaria – The King's Gallery Statue Documentation and Conservation Project

Visit

Events

Collection and research

Touring exhibitions

Who we are

Fondazione Trasparente

HR and tenders

Press