NEW YORK: Andrea Della Robbia's "St Michael" lunette fell from its perch atop a doorway last monday, June 30 2008. Although it broke into many pieces, officials stated that a preliminary examination concluded that the damage was not irrevocable- it will be displayed again in the museum in the near future.Surprisingly, this is not the first time that an incident of this sort has occurred at the lauded museum- the New York Times states that" In 2002 a 15th-century marble statue of Adam by the Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo crashed to the ground in the Velez Blanco Patio, scattering its arms, legs and an ornamental tree trunk into dozens of pieces. The 6-foot-3-inch statue tipped over when one side of the four-inch-high base of its pedestal buckled. The statue is still being studied with the goal of restoration, and it was never determined what caused its pedestal to collapse" (July 2, 2008).

Hmm... molto interessante...


NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/arts/design/02scul.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=della%20robbia&st=cse&oref=slogin

Same Article with a More Sensational Title: ( ? ) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/arts/design/01cnd-sculpture.html?ref=design


PS.
The Sculpture "may have done a back flip in the air as it fell, causing it to land relatively flat on its reverse side and sparing it “catastrophic damage." ..??
Terracotta enters Olympic Trials...?