VOA文化艺术2023--Vatican Experts Restore Masterpieces

Vatican Experts Restore Masterpieces

Alessandra Zarelli works to keep the artwork of the Vatican Museums in good condition. She says, whenever she works on a masterpiece, she must calm her heart so her thinking can center on her work.

Vatican City is a small country surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome. It is the headquarters and seat of government of the Roman Catholic¹ Church. The Vatican Museums contain thousands of artworks hundreds of years old including paintings by Michelangelo.

"The emotion of working on something like a Michelangelo is truly indescribable," said Zarelli. She helped repair one of his wall paintings in Vatican City's Pauline Chapel².

Michelangelo painted during the Renaissance³ period of European history during a growth of interest in science, art, and literature.

Zarelli is part of a special team at the Vatican Museums' repair laboratory for paintings and wood pieces.

The team is responsible for looking after thousands of square meters of wall paintings, including the famous ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel. They also look after some 5,300 oil paintings and wooden statues.

A century of restoration

The painting and wood lab is one of eight specialized⁴ groups in the museums. It permitted several news organizations, including Reuters, the chance to see its inner workings to mark its 100th anniversary.

Care and repair methods change often and today's workers often have to repair mistakes from care workers that came before them. They repair work from recent history to many centuries ago.

Another problem, usually from the distant past, is that restorers were not technicians but artists in their own right. Francesca Persegati is chief restorer at the Vatican Museums. She said that some of those artists thought they could "improve" the original by adding their own work.

"It's important to be humble⁵ in this job, to respect the work but also to have a scientific background to understand the materials," she said.

Before a painting even reaches the lab, another team carries out tests to see if paint or color has been added since the piece was first made. They also check it for possible other work below the surface.

In another part of the lab, Caterina Manisco was working on an 1895 painting called Madonna and Child Between St. Teresa and St. Francis. Italian Emma Richards was the artist. She painted for the rich and powerful, like Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Such work was a rarity for women artists of the time.

"Because she was a woman, I somehow feel very close to her," said Manisco, an external restorer at the lab.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the paintings and wood lab, the Vatican Museums are using special technology. It permits visitors to use their phones to connect with information about the artwork they are looking at.

Words in This Story

museum – n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public

restore – v. to return (something) to an earlier or original condition by repairing it or cleaning it

concentrate – v. to think about something: to give your attention to the thing you are doing or reading

paralyze⁶ – v. to make (a person or animal) unable to move or feel all or part of the body

humble – adj. not proud: not thinking of yourself as better than other people

1 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

2 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

5 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

6 paralyze   

vt.使瘫痪，使丧失作用，使呆若木鸡

参考例句：

• The fear that you might make a mistake or fail in your efforts can paralyze your progress.担心你可能会犯错或者你的努力将会失败，这会阻碍你的进步。
• The snake uses its venom to stun or paralyze its victims.蛇用其毒液使受害者失去知觉或瘫痪。