Lost Arms of the Venus Taurica to Be Digitally Reconstructed
The Hermitage plans to use digital technology to show what the Venus Taurica may have looked like before losing its arms.
Museum specialists intend to determine the exact position of the missing limbs, Mikhail Piotrovsky, director general of the Hermitage, said at the International Forum of United Cultures.
A virtual reconstruction will show a hypothetical version of the masterpiece without altering the original marble. According to Piotrovsky, viewers have become accustomed to seeing ancient sculptures in their current state, without reconstructed fragments.
Attempts have also been made to physically restore the arms. Italian restorers were the first to undertake the task immediately after the statue was discovered in Rome. Another attempt was made in Russia. Both were deemed unsuccessful.
The statue, one of the first ancient sculptures acquired in the country, was purchased on the orders of Peter the Great in 1719. For many years, it stood in the Summer Garden and later in the Tauride Palace, from which it got its name. Since 1852, it has been on display at the New Hermitage.
