Crucifix

Abstract

Behind the high altar of San Lorenzo in Panisperna in Rome is the choir chapel of the nuns, where an eighteenth-century papier-mâché crucifix hangs on the far wall. Recently, the sculpture underwent conservation treatment, carried out by the Fondo Edifici di Culto of the Ministry of the Interior. The intervention aimed to address structural weaknesses and remediate an earlier nineteenth-century repainting, revealing the original layer. The original tempera polychromy, which showed Christ bleeding, was recovered from under two layers of false enamel. During the cleaning process, conservators discovered that the crucifix was constructed from eleven individual sections, modeled using paper and flour glue. Plaster and rabbit glue were also used. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.