Tuesday, 17th February 2004 (3969 views)

Restorers working on a famous sculpture of David struck gold when they discovered gold leaf on the statue.

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.

Restorers said the cleaning revealed a sculpture that was even more remarkable than admirers had imagined.

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.

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.

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.

'Now, you can appreciate every bone and every sinew,' he said.

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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