Work on the Hercules statues
Conservation work on the Baroque figures of Hercules and their sculpted pedestals has been ongoing since July. The task will be carried out over two years.
One of the most labour-intensive and difficult moments was the transport of the stone figures and pedestals to the courtyard of the so-called Lanci House in the forefield of the Palace, where the sculptures are undergoing professional conservation treatment. That is now all, however. Copies of the figures are also being made.
The work has been divided into two basic stages, during which the sculptures are processed in pairs – two figures and their pedestals at a time. Currently, conservation work is being done on the pedestals, as well as moulding tasks on both Hercules figures.
Sandstone from the Wartowice quarry has been initially selected as the raw material for making copies of the sculptures. Specialist studies and analyses were conducted, comparing samples of the selected sandstone with the original material of the historic statues and pedestals. They confirmed that the choice of the sandstone was correct, as well as the great physiochemical similarity of the materials.
Conservation has been carried out on two Hercules figures, consisting mainly of removing the layers of excessive amount of previously used substances from the surface of the sculptures. Plaster models were also made, which will be used to carve missing pieces of the figures in stone. Larger cavities and extensive restorations using different mortars made during previous conservation works were replaced with appropriately selected sandstone elements. The missing parts of both Hercules figures were also reconstructed. This made it possible for the copy-making process to begin.
The silicone form, reinforced with a plaster stabilising layer and a metal construction, has already been removed from one of the Hercules figures. Work is ongoing on the casting of the model of the figure, which will be used to make a sandstone duplicate. The second Hercules figure will soon be completed.
Further work, after the removal of the silicone forms, will consist of attaching the reconstructions of the missing parts, carved in stone, filling in small gaps with a mass that imitates sandstone, as well as adjusting the surface and the form of the reconstructed elements analogous to the surrounding material. At the end, the colour of the fills and the reconstructed elements will be harmonised with the original.
After these tasks are completed, the sculptures will be placed in the Sculpture Pavilion at the back of the former Stable, in the south-western part of the gardens. There, they will wait for placement in the Orangery, where they will add to the exhibition of 18th-century sculptures, currently being designed. Their sandstone copies will replace the originals on the waterfront of Wilanowskie Lake.
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