The isolated base of the statue, designed by an engineering team led by Miyamoto Italy’s Devis Sonda, was tested in December on a shake table using a copy of the statue. The Discovery Channel also was there filming a story on the project, which you can see in the video above. The isolation system will be added to the real statue in April, in time for EXPO2015, the Universal Exhibition in Milan.
Michelangelo worked on the Pietà Rondanini from 1552 until the last days of his life; he died in 1564 at age 89. The work is housed in the Museum of Ancient Art of Sforza Castle in Milan. Unfinished yet beautiful, it was his final sculpture and revisits the theme of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ. The art world refers to the Pietà as Michelangelo’s final masterpiece.
“There was a great team effort to find the best solutions,” said Giovanna Mori of the City of Milan, who coordinated the project.