Donatello and other Renaissance masters: research and conservation

A group of bronze sculptures from the former collection of the Kaiser-Friedrich- Museum was a part of an extensive collection of Italian bronze, which was the subject of special pride of its cataloguer and collector, the famous German art historian and museum figure Wilhelm von Bode. Many of the attributions made by him in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century are still relevant, the others needed clarifications. All items, among which there are rare and valuable originals from the 15-16th centuries, have been severely damaged by fire, many are deformed. The conservators are facing a difficult task of making it possible to exhibit them again, which calls for a different conservation approach in each individual case.