The renowned Livorno Torso, an ancient bronze sculpture from the collection of monumental bronzes at Florence’s National Archaeological Museum, has returned to public display after an extensive restoration and scientific investigation.

Launched in 2024, the project combined conservation treatment with advanced technological research and was made possible through the support of Friends of Florence. The restoration was led by conservator Nicola Salvioli in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of Italian and international specialists.

The sculpture has been part of the Medici collections since at least the reign of Cosimo I de’ Medici in the sixteenth century and is famously depicted among the artworks featured in Johann Zoffany’s celebrated painting The Tribuna of the Uffizi. Yet despite its long presence in Florence, many questions surrounding the bronze remain unresolved, including whether it is an original Greek masterpiece or a Roman copy, and how it ultimately entered the Medici collections.

Scientific research reveals new insights

The restoration has provided valuable new evidence about the sculpture’s history. Researchers confirmed that the bronze spent a significant period submerged underwater, a conclusion supported by marine deposits and shell remains discovered within the sculpture during treatment.

Like many bronzes in the Medici collections, the Livorno Torso had been covered by dark surface coatings applied in later centuries. The careful removal of these layers allowed conservators to address corrosion issues and reveal previously hidden variations in the original metal surface.

The conservation work was accompanied by an extensive diagnostic campaign employing both non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques to investigate the alloy’s composition and the processes that have affected the sculpture over time.

A particularly important phase of the research took place in June 2024 at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France, where scientists used neutron imaging technology to examine the bronze. According to the museum, this marked the first application of the technique to a bronze sculpture of such monumental dimensions.

Museums as centres of research

The project highlights the increasingly important role museums play not only in preserving cultural heritage but also in advancing scientific research. The results of the restoration and analytical studies will be presented during a dedicated study day at the National Archaeological Museum of Florence on 17 September.

As part of the project, Salvioli also designed a new display mount to improve both the structural stability of the sculpture and its presentation to visitors.

From the Museum to Palazzo Strozzi

The Livorno Torso will remain on display at the National Archaeological Museum throughout the summer. Beginning on 25 September, it will be featured in Broken: The Power of the Fragment, a major exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi running until 24 January 2027.

Exploring the concept of the fragment from antiquity to contemporary art, the exhibition will place the Livorno Torso within a wider discussion of incomplete and damaged works, examining their enduring cultural and artistic significance.

For visitors to Florence, the sculpture’s return offers a rare opportunity to encounter one of the city’s most important ancient bronzes following a project that has not only enhanced its preservation but also deepened our understanding of its long and still partially enigmatic history.