SCULPTURE DESCRIPTION

• Two of the few remaining landmarks from the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (1876), each bronze statue depicts a winged horse accompanied by a mythological muse.
• Commissioned for the Imperial Opera House in Vienna; purchased by Philadelphia philanthropist Robert Graz.
• The restoration (a 2018 Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia Grand Jury Award Winner) was considered one of the most complicated sculpture conservation projects ever undertaken in Philadelphia.

CHALLENGE

• Evaluate the existing interior armature & iron grillage support system.
• Design repairs to the corroded interior framing.
• Design drainage improvements.

SOLUTION

• The statues had to be carefully dismantled to access the interior structure. All pieces were catalogued and labeled for later reinstallation. Reconstruction of the statues was supervised to avoid damage to the restored bronzes.
• Designed new grillage and stainless steel fasteners to avoid future corrosion.
• The internal armature was reinforced with steel plates.
• Collaborated with Thomas C. Faranda, PE, for peer review