More than 1,000 liters of preservative and five and a half kilograms of gold sheeting went into the restoration of the century-old Roman Hall at the Museum of Fine Arts. Functioning as a storage place for several decades, this richly decorated attraction was one of the most neglected areas of the museum.
A team of professionals have been busy working on the premises so that the 900-square-meter atrium could regain its original splendor. The Roman Hall will temporarily reopen to the public for two weeks from March 15th until Easter. During this time, anyone can visit this stunning space free of charge.
The name of the restorers will be placed in a time capsule, and hidden in the rose window above the gate, in the same spot where another nearly 100-year-old time capsule was found during the renovation, listing the names of those who worked on the hall’s decoration during 1903-1904.
The renovation is part of a comprehensive makeover of the museum that began in 2015, and which will expand the exhibition space by an additional 2,000 square meters. The Museum of Fine Arts will again begin welcoming visitors from October 30th, with a rare chance to see Leonardo da Vinci’s horse sculpture, along with ten original drawings by the Renaissance polymath.