The ministry of Culture and museum will ensure that damage caused to the statue are “reversible” – the Public.en

the deputy director of The National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA) will meet this Monday with the technicians of conservation and restoration of the museum to make a more detailed assessment of the damage caused to the sculpture overturned by a tourist on Sunday. José Alberto Carvalho told the PUBLIC that "the damages recoverable" and that "the central body of the Archangel san Miguel suffered no apparent damage".

"There are several areas with fractures. It was not only disengage, but with a fracture," explained the deputy director, added that in spite of the central part be full of the wings, a part of the mantle and one of the arms were separated at the fall of this sculpture of the XVIII century of the plinth on which was exposed on the third floor. The work, with almost two meters of height, is by an unknown author, but was held in a lisbon workshop. Made in wood in the second half of the twentieth CENTURY, gilt and polychrome, it is not yet possible to know that the damages suffered decoration stuffed and painted, but “apparently the polychrome not jumped”.

The recovery, she added, will be made at the museum, as had already happened previously before the part to be restored for the reopening of the third floor of the Museum of Ancient Art. "It is a restoration difficult, but it is not problematic from a technical point of view."

The Ministry of Culture also ensured, also, on the Sunday night that the sculpture will be restored. Teresa Bizarre, advisor to the minister of Culture, said to the Lusa that, after the accident, an initial assessment concluded that the “damages are easy to repair”.

In the next few days, says the Ministry of Culture in a press release, and after the report of the museum, “the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage will assess in detail the damages and the need to change the musealization of the exhibition, which was inaugurated this Summer, in order to prevent accidents”.

“The accident occurred when the visitor, while shooting a another work, backed out without looking, has not stopped in spite of the alerts of the vigilant, and was against the piece that was on top of a plinth,” adds the press release of the Ministry of Culture.

The advisor admitted to Lusa that, in the coming days, the directorate of the museum will examine the case with greater depth, may even choose another location to expose the statue. José Alberto Seabra told the AUDIENCE that the situation in the room will be re-evaluated so that there are not more accidents, but added that he still does not know if the room layout needs to be changed.

Teresa Bizarre ensured that this incident “has nothing to do” with the alert released in September by the director of the MNAA, António Filipe Pimentel, who warned that “one of these days there is a calamity at the museum” because if you go to “play to the heritage”, adding that the placement had all the information cabal.

The alert about the conditions of the MNAA was left on the School Boards of the CDS-PP, in a panel dedicated to the culture in which participated also Pedro Mexia, a consultant for the cultural area of the President of the Republic.

On Sunday, the director of the museum, through the social network Facebook, regretted what happened and reaffirmed his confidence in the team of the house, ensuring that, in brief, the piece will be returned to the public. “Today was a Sunday, sad. An accident fool, by part of a visitor, certainly delighted, but unsuspecting, damaged a sculpture, whose presence in the air and grácil (Archangel san Miguel), in its central position – as a statue on a small square – as that coroava the room dedicated to the Baroque in the Gallery of Painting and Sculpture, the Portuguese of the MNAA,” wrote Pimentel, to then remember the project for the re-opening of the Floor 3, which allowed to renew completely the galleries of painting and sculpture, the Portuguese, given the “every detail” and counting with the commitment of the entire team of the house and the support of patrons who made possible the restoration of more than 100 pieces.

The Archangel san Miguel is now damaged part of the batch of the works restored, in the case thanks to the Galerie James, of Paris, need to the director before finishing with a note of optimism: “With the great team, once more, I trust that it will be possible to reverse the damage and, in a short time, returning to the public the beautiful Sao Miguel in its renewed splendor.”