The contractor has been fined HUF 2 million and the restoration expert HUF 1 million for the offense, said Árpád Weiler, who is in charge of the regional branch of the Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.
The bungle occurred in June, when workers busy with the reconstruction of the museum started ? without the supervision of the restoration expert ? to scrape off a fresco entitled Suffering Christ as well as painted renaissance ornamentation on the building, which was completed in 1324. The mishap occurred despite the fact that the wall was clearly marked for restoration.
The fresco was discovered in 1955 during a previous restoration of the building, said Ilona Millei, the appointed museum commissioner for Baranya County, where the Zsolnay Musem is located. An attempt was made to preserve the significant find, but, with time, the fresco deteriorated to the point at which it could hardly be seen. Ms Millei said the museum is consulting with art historians and restoration artists on ways the damaged wall can be repaired. She added that the work could be carried out on the basis of photographs taken of the fresco in the 1950s, the 70s and after 2000, as well as using documents from similar works in Italy.
The HUF 500 million renovation of the Zsolnay Museum started in September 2005. During the two-year project, the building?s structure will be reinforced, the walls replastered, the floors redone and the exhibition space expanded. The building will also be made accessible to visitors with physical disabilities.
The Zsolnay Museum houses a collection of 12,000 pieces of porcelain made by Hungary?s famous Zsolnay porcelain factory as well as a further 8,000 documents. The museum attracts almost 75,000 visitors each year.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
