Vatican Museums

An Inauguration Ceremony will take place 4 November 2010 in the Vatican Museums for the "open laboratory", which will display the restored preparatory models of the bronze figures, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, of the Angels and Saints for the Altars of the Cathedra and the Blessed Sacrament in St. Peters. The works of art, exhibited in the Vatican Pinacoteca - on deposit from Saint Peter's Basilica - are in need of thorough and careful restoration. This restoration will be carried out by specialists in the Ceramics and Metals Laboratory of the Vatican Museums, under the direction of the Director, Professor Antonio Paulucci. The supervision of the conservation procedure is entrusted to Professor Arnold Nesselrath, Chairman of the Scientific Board of the Vatican Museums.
The unusual dimensions of the models made it necessary to create an appropriate area in which to display them in safe conditions. Therefore, in an area of the Museum, known as the "Cortile of the Zitella", an elegant, light, see-through structure was built. It is designed as an "open site", which, thanks to its huge windows and to the peripheral pathway, equipped with didactic panels, visitors can closely observe the work in progress.

The "open laboratory" was financed by the New York Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, whilst the research and conception were overseen by the Superintendence of Vatican Museums in collaboration with the long established and experienced firm, Castelli, which is undertook the work.
The structure and purely rational layout are conceived making use of square modules in iron and glass, which may be adapted as a function of the Museum's future needs. The cement base is simply placed on the existing pavement, conceived together with the superstructure, which is made of two squares which rotate, reproducing the form of a star. The iron roof, supported by ten columns, is separated from the glass structure so as to create a space which emphasises the inner compartment, where the works of art are cared for and restored.

The area is equipped with illumination and air-conditioning that guarantee conservation of the Angels. The structure also makes use of natural light by modifying the orientation of the multiform structure, which may be rotated according to the seasons and, when necessary, this environment can be controlled using curtains