Dusting David's bits

On 25 September, at the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, has been a special event for the international press involving the protection of one of the art world’s masterpieces.

A very delicate operation which is also a rite of passage. Michelangelo's David, the protagonist masterpiece of the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, is periodically subjected to careful dusting. On 25 September, with the museum closed, has been possible to follow the event closely by being present during the "dusting" of the David, which this year celebrates the 150th anniversary of its arrival at the Accademia.

The time interval for the dusting - which takes place every two months - is agreed, assessed and updated on the basis of previous experiences, so as to prevent the accumulation of deposits and dust diminishing the brightness of the marble and turning the surface grey. This continuous, delicate removal ensures that it doesn’t create a conservation problem, avoiding, for example, the development of colonies of biodeteriogens and the accumulation of substances which, conveyed by man, air and water (in the form of simple humidity), can potentially prove harmful. The need for continuous maintenance is even more sharply felt at Galleria dell’Accademia, a museum in which the uninterrupted transit of hundreds of thousands of visitors produces an inevitable flow of dust and atmospheric particles which settle on the exhibited works, as it does on all the architectural reliefs that decorate the rooms.

THE VARIOUS PHASES OF THE OPERATION

Before carrying out the dusting, mobile scaffolding is assembled and positioned inside the David's protection "fence". Then, the “treatment” begins. Brushes of different sizes with synthetic bristles able to attract more dust are used in dusting operations. At the same time, the more volatile part is aspirated by museum vacuum cleaners. Lastly, duvets made from synthetic fabrics able to capture and retain atmospheric particles are used. This last operation is exclusively performed on the smoother parts of the models to prevent small fragments of fabric from getting caught where the surfaces are a little rough. Consequently, all the inconsistent deposits that can be found on the surface of the David are eliminated. At the same time, the more volatile part is aspirated by museum vacuum cleaners. The operation is carried out by a restorer specialised in stone restoration who, thanks to the mobile scaffold, can get to the top of the sculpture. Indeed, the marble curls of the hair are where much of the dust can be found, as well as spiders and their cobwebs. The operation is carried out with the help of a special machine that cleans the sculptures using special brushes of different sizes with soft bristles. During the operation, the marble surface of the face is also thoroughly cleaned. Furthermore, thanks to the scaffolding, the restorer can monitor the entire sculpture constantly. Dust, filaments and micro fragments from the clothes of the numerous visitors are delicately removed. The accumulation of deposits and dust would diminish the brightness of the marble, greying the surface, but the delicate continuous removal ensures that this doesn’t create a conservation problem. Lastly, every time someone climbs onto the scaffolding, they check the David's state of health to look out for any anomalies or variations. Everything is carefully documented and photographed, every centimetre of surface area studied, scrutinised and then dusted with a brush and a vacuum cleaner. At the end of the operation, all the entire documentation is checked, compared and archived in order to create a medical record, time after time, which photographs the state of the David and is used to monitor the evolution of its state of conservation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN INTERVENTION

The complexity of a restoration or, better still, of work aimed at avoiding new renovations, such as maintenance and monitoring, require a critical assessment gleaned through historical-artistic knowledge of the work, its past conservation history, the materials of previous restorations, knowledge of the current condition, investigations and scientific data provided for conservation and the results of advanced technological research regarding analyses, materials and techniques that will be used. The sort of interdisciplinary approach that must involve cooperation between specialists in the sector, including restorers, with the unique wealth of experience and human sensitivity that allows a case by case assessment of which is the most appropriate methodology to employ or when to stop, a process that is difficult for a machine to carry out, however sophisticated it may be.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

In the context of the restoration and care of museum collections in general, new technologies have become of fundamental importance nowadays, especially with regards to environmental monitoring and the development of innovative cleaning systems, such as bio and nanotechnologies, for the experimentation of more sustainable solutions for works of art, the health of the people involved and the environment. For example, thanks to new technologies, with regard to the preventive conservation of a masterpiece as precious as the David, like all the works exhibited in the museum, at the Galleria dell'Accademia very important, continuous microclimatic and environmental monitoring is carried out, also remotely , through a wireless network of sensors for the integrated measurement of microclimatic parameters (temperature and relative humidity) and gas, sensors located in the exhibition areas and inside the display cases that preserve the works. Remote management and access through a dedicated web portal allows data to be consulted at any time and alarm signals to be received so that prompt intervention can occur. Furthermore, the ability to reprocess the data into graphs allows the creation of an archive that is always available for consultation, the processing of ordinary and extraordinary maintenance operations and restoration or display adaptation projects.

THE DELICACY OF THE OPERATION

The time spent on the maintenance of a work of art always requires the utmost attention and concentration on what you see, what you touch and how you do it, since every action you take, as well as every tool used, is potentially harmful. As regards the maintenance of a sculpture like Michelangelo's David, risk also lies in the assembly phase of the mobile scaffolding necessary to get to every part of the work. This operation takes place in the Tribuna area, in order to minimise the chance of danger. Then, the 5-metre-high scaffolding has to be brought inside the David's protection "fence". This involves moving the scaffolding extremely delicately in a limited space and needs to be carried out with the help of specialised technical personnel in order to manoeuvre the scaffolding to get as close as possible to the work, thereby facilitating the control and dusting operations, continuously checking the space available and calculating the natural movements and oscillations of the scaffolding. Furthermore, during dusting, an operation that may seem "simple" or "ordinary", of all works of art such as the David, the utmost attention must be paid to adapting the operation according to the characteristics of the surfaces being treated and their various states of conservation. In fact, if you use the wrong tool, you can risk scratching it, compromising a surface or leaving traces. Therefore, it is very important to use different types of treatment for the smoother parts of the statue of David and those that have rougher textures, such as the shoulders or the curls of the hair. Furthermore, maintenance operations do not only focus on the actions and hand-held tools. A complex, essential part is represented by observation and monitoring: working to train the eye, with prolonged contact and continuous care for the works, to verify the emergence of any anomalies or variations in shape, colour or surface texture.