Science applied to art

A high-tech installation that allows onlookers to feel as if they are getting a close view of Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà and that also protects the statue from risks. This is how Goppion’s work can be defined in terms of its participation in the project for relocating the Rondanini Pietà to the Spanish Hospital room of the Castello Sforzesco.

The Milan-based company engineered and created the cylindrical metallic pedestal upon which the statue will rest. It was designed by Michele De Lucchi in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, the City of Milan and the Superintendency of Castello Sforzesco. The pedestal itself will be placed on a special platform under the flooring (made by the firm Japanese Miyamoto; Goppion also helped with some of the complementary functional elements of this platform) which is meant to protect the statue from vibrations from the two subway lines that pass right under the structure and protect against any seismic shocks.

The pedestal was created with special types of steel and underwent metallic working methods with soldering and painting carried out as per UNI-EN regulations. These standards not only guarantee the pedestal can handle the weight of the statue and any kind of stress but also served to meet the aesthetic needs for a perfect cylinder without flaws or any visible joints.

Extreme robustness (the statue weighs 780 kg) comes together with high-precision mechanics worthy of a timepiece. It features a unique radial internal structure with beams placed in an irregular fashion. This was specially made to support Michelangelo’s masterpiece, which – after the artist made changes after having second thoughts – has the center of gravity predominantly toward the back.

An adjustable eyebolt anchors the statue to the pedestal, pulling it downward and preventing it from falling, even in the event it is accidentally bumped.

The entire system was first tested in the laboratory of the Centro Elettronico Sperimentale in Seriate, and once it was put into its permanent home, it underwent further simulations of various types of stress that the sculpture could be exposed to. For the tests, a copy of the statue was made with the same dimensions and characteristics of the original, including the marble used, which was taken from a mine that was already open during the Renaissance and located near to where Michelangelo preferred to get his marble.

As part of the installation in this new museum room, Goppion also realized the flooring

with oak planks, as well as the metallic barriers, which have precision mechanics that – thanks to work done by the machine tool – integrate the refinement of the finishings and the ability to handle significant pressure as crowds push in.