Camposanto di Staglieno, Genoa, Italy
American Friends of Italian Monumental Sculpture
This wonderful marble sculpture of Julia Morison Bentley is suffering from weather and pollution.
These two sculptures are magnificent archetypical examples of the brief artistic period known as Bourgeois Realism or naturalism.
The memorial portrait sculpture of Benjamin Whitehead. This graceful and beautiful sculpture is unprotected from the effects of the surrounding environment.
A detail of his boot showing the level of realistic craftsmanship and artistry.
Benjamin Whitehead invented this steam engine.
Detail of Benjamin Whiteheads vice showing deterioration of the white Carrara marble
Moss and degradation attack the sculpture of Julia Morris Bentley.
The Benjamin Whitehead marble sculpture shows heavy biological and pollution damage, with black encrustation.
The heavily weathered face of Benjamin Whitehead begins to lose the detailed surface carving.
Their clothing shows the attention to detail and intricate surface texture that helps bring these statues to life.
Scaffolding was erected around the sculptures to protect them and provide access for the restoration work.
Note how moisture causes the moss to penetrate and weaken the marble
The biocide, a chemical to remove biological growth, was carefully applied in different strengths to test areas.
Before and during photos of the flowers carved on the base of the Bentley memorial. Note that the restorer is careful not to over clean, because removing the deeply penetrated stain could also result in removing or damaging some of the marble. A restrained touch is essential.
In celebration of the Week of Historic European Cemeteries, May 24 to June 2 2013, there are tours and presentations at Staglieno. All of the tour guides are stopping by the Bentley Whitehead memorials to explain about AFIMS and the restorations we are sponsoring.
AFIMS president Walter S. Arnold and sculpture restorer Francesca Saitta inspect progress on the Julia Morison Bentley sculpture.
Before and during photos of the relief carving of Benjamin Whiteheads steam engine, one of his inventions. With the cleaning we can once again see the work as intended by the sculptor, Lorenzo Orengo.
Julia Morison Bentley is wearing gloves. Before the restoration they were covered with black crust, mold and mildew. Here is a comparison to the same portion of the sculpture during restoration, with the cleaning progressing carefully.
Comparison of the two sculptures before and after restoration.
The completed restorations
Julia Morison Bentley before and after restoration
The two completed restorations
Benjamin Whitehead restored
A view from behind gives another sense of how these magnificent sculptures fit in their environment.
Thanks to our generous sponsors we have awarded our first restoration contract, to help preserve and save these two unique works of art. Restoration work began in March, 2013 and took four months to complete.
These two sculptures are magnificent archetypical examples of the brief artistic period known as Bourgeois Realism or naturalism, an international style of the 1860’s and 1870’s. The sculpture of this period reflected the philosophy that the most important value for a person was their social and professional role. The fundamental values of this period were work, progress, family, charity and religion. The Whitehead and Bentley sculptures are prime examples of memorials that reflect these values. A reaction to the earlier style of romanticism, the Bourgeois Realism showed everyday activities and life without idealization or dramatization.
Lorenzo Orengo (1838-1909) was one of the principle proponents of this style. He was one of the most active and successful sculptors at Staglieno during this period and was noted especially for these two statues and for the “Peanut Seller”, one of the best-known and most beloved sculptures in Staglieno.
This extreme realism required the highest level of technical skill from the sculptors and carvers, rendering the minutest details with absolute honesty and fidelity.
These are pivotal works of a fleeting period in art history, the culmination of centuries of development of realism, just as the more “modern” styles, impressionism, expressionism, and abstraction swept across the artistic landscape banishing the realist artists into one hundred years of obscurity. We are just now coming to once again appreciate and value this long neglected work.
These two statues are located in the Protestant Cemetery, a section just a few hundred meters inside the main entrance of Staglieno. The English engineer Benjamin Whitehead is portrayed with a workbench. At the base is a relief carving of a steam engine that he invented. His wife, Julia Bentley, is similarly depicted with minute attention to all the details of her lace, ornament, and her features. She commissioned these two works after her husband died. They were completed during her lifetime.
Unprotected and exposed to the elements, these significant marble sculptures were being attacked by moss and dirt. That was being absorbed into the surface of the stone and was causing the marble to soften and break down. Without the restoration these art works could have been lost to history.
The restoration was carried out by Francesca Saitta of Il Quadrifoglio Laboratorio D'Arte e Restauro in Genoa, Italy.