Twentieth-century classical archaeologists tended to take a purist approach. Just as Thorvaldsen's restorations have been removed from the marbles in Munich. Sir John Beazley routinely removed post-antique restorations from the plaster casts in Oxford. He amputated the 16th century arm of Apollo Belvedere and bisected the restored hind of Artemis of Versailles.
Oxford acquired both casts in the 1820s, at the same time as the Borghese Warrior. They were given to decorate the interior of James Gibbs's Radcliffe Library which opened in 1749 (below left). In this early 19th century engraving (below right) the casts can be seen in the rotunda: Apollo has his restored left arm and Artemis has her hind. To art historians these restorations are important. Apollo's had been carried out in the 1530s, Artemis's in 1605. To most classical archaeologists restorations, even by famous sculptors, are a corruption of the original.
Post-antique restorations that were recorded, such as Barthélemy Prieur's of Artemis for the outdoor fountain at Fontainebleau, have often been removed in academic cast collections. But many restorations were not recorded; forgotten, they have usually been retained. Michelangelo, for example, has been credited, probably wrongly, with the restoration of the head and arms of the Dancing Faun, one of the most famous statues in the Tribuna of the Uffizi, seen here below in Zoffany's famous painting. Regularly paired with Venus de'Medici, whose arms were also restored in the 17th century, the two usually retain their post-antique restorations.
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Last updated:
30 October, 2007