Historical Restoration in 19th-Century Italian Architecture
During the nineteenth century, Italian architects and theorists reacted against the school and English school *Violletiana*, proposing conservation while seeking to differentiate between the old and the new when intervention was inevitable. Following this debate, two main trends emerged: historical restoration and modern restoration, led by Luca Beltrami and Camilo Boito. Both approaches developed within the Milanese context.
Luca Beltrami and the Sforza Castle
Luca Beltrami applied his theories of historical restoration to the Sforza Castle in Milan. His project involved restoring the Sforzesca fortress with the intention of reintegrating it into its original image, based on Filarete’s drawings and old documents. Only the starting points and wall panels remained. A central tower was built according to the architect’s theoretical studies, resulting in a tower that was never part of the original project.
Methodology of Historical Restoration
- Specific Criteria: Every building is different, requiring specific criteria for each intervention.
- Search for Original Reality: Seek the original historical reality of the monument.
- Document Knowledge: Thoroughly understand documents (archives, plans, drawings, paintings, traces, oral and written descriptions, etc.).
- In-Depth Building Analysis: Conduct a deep analysis of the building (construction phases, materials, additives, colors, etc.).
- Avoid “Perfection”: Do not attempt to “perfect” the building.
- Restore Equity Value: Restore the artistic, symbolic, film, urban, cultural, and architectural reference value.
- Exact Replication: Create an exact copy of the original (materials, ornaments, etc.).
Critique of Historical Restoration
While historical restoration is a well-posed, even correct method, in practice, it often encountered problems:
- Interpretation Issues: There was still a lack of critical capacity to interpret sources, leading to misunderstandings and errors.
- Excessive Documentation: Incomprehensible excess in documentary analysis resulted in strictly personal and inaccurate works.
- Subjectivity: Interventions were often very subjective, based on the restorers-historians’ interpretation of “historic” documents.
- Idealized Sources: Paintings, prints, and drawings were often idealized, leading to “personal” and subjective interventions.
- “Exact” Copies: The creation of “exact” copies led to reproductions of buildings that were currently missing. Total reconstruction was prohibited except in special cases.
The Campanile of San Marco: A Case Study
The best example of this concept is the reconstruction of the Campanile in Piazza San Marco in Venice, which collapsed on July 14, 1902. A debate ensued on whether to rebuild or leave the space empty. Once the decision to rebuild was made, the debate continued on the method of reconstruction, with the performance of a literal copy prevailing.
All available scientific materials and graphic resources were used to ensure the reconstruction was as similar as possible to the original. Contemporary instruments were also employed, including reinforced concrete for the foundation and structure. Materials from the fallen structure were reused (anastylosis). This approach simultaneously recovered the historic environment and the city’s landmark, maintaining the vertical element connecting the two horizontal spaces.
Thus, in the phenomenology of historical restoration, deliberate reconstructions produce exact copies of missing elements for various reasons, but only when all of their design features (artistic, historical, documentary, etc.) are known. These reproductions are achieved through the study of archives, graphics, and other sources, leading to a project that faithfully replicates the original.
Beltrami vs. Viollet-le-Duc and Ruskin
Beltrami’s methodology opposes Viollet-le-Duc’s approach, which tended towards reconstructing the monument to improve its shortcomings and seeking the ideality of its style. It also opposes Ruskin’s theory, which considered that a building, once destroyed, should not be rebuilt.
The Goal of Exact Replication
The proponents of historical restoration sought to make an exact copy, without the slightest mutation, using the most similar materials available, with the same decorations and ornaments – in short, a perfect replica.
Modern Examples of Historical Reconstruction
Modern examples of historical reconstruction following major events include:
- Post-World War II reconstructions: Warsaw, the bridges in Florence.
- Citadel of Bam (Iran).
- Buddhas of Afghanistan.
- Bridge of Mostar on the Neretva River.