VENICE.- Donatello’s Monument to Gattamelata, the oldest surviving bronze equestrian statue to be cast since classical antiquity, began its much-anticipated conservation journey this month. In 2024, Save Venice committed to finance the treatment of the Renaissance masterpiece in collaboration with Friends of Florence. This intervention comes not a moment too soon as the sculpture is threatened by widespread corrosion and structural issues caused by previous movements during the first and second World Wars. Its stone base is crumbling from exposure to the elements.

The monument depicts Erasmo da Narni (known as “Gattamelata”), the captain general of the Venetian army, who was buried in the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padua in 1458. Donatello fashioned the bronze statue between 1447 and 1453 for the square in front of the church.

The first step of the conservation process involved transferring the 450-kilo (0.5 ton) figure of Gattamelata and his 1,600-kilo (1.7 ton) horse across the Piazza del Santo to the entry hall of the former “Boito” civic museum. Here, a temporary laboratory has been set up to allow conservator Nicola Salvioli to conduct comprehensive diagnostic studies, followed by the full restoration of the ensemble. The indoor restoration site will also be open to the public during designated visiting hours throughout the duration of the project, with further details to be announced soon.

The highly-challenging movement operations took place over two days under the direction of Nicola Salvioli and his teams of engineers, architects, art handlers, crane operators, and technicians. Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Pontifical Delegation of the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padova, as well as experts from the Istituto Centrale di Restauro and Università di Padova also participated.

It is a great privilege and honor to take part in the restoration of Donatello’s Gattamelata. Save Venice is deeply grateful to Jon and Barbara Landau for their generous support and, together with Friends of Florence, is committed to preserving this Renaissance masterpiece for generations to come.

This historic moment has been made possible thanks to the expertise and dedication of the exceptional professionals involved in the care of this precious monument. It has been a source of admiration to witness restorer Nicola Salvioli and the teams from Arterìa, R-Struct, Expin, and the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua carry out the delicate operations involved in moving the Gattamelata with extraordinary precision, sensitivity, and care. – Save Venice Chairman Frederick Ilchman

The Pontifical Delegation of the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padova will host an information session open to the public on Friday, October 31, 2025 to share more details about the recent movement process and the investigations that will take place over the coming months. All participants will also have the opportunity to visit the worksite with the conservation team.