Opera fatta diligentissimamente

This research offers a systematic historical and stylistic investigation into the Renaissance restorations of ancient sculptures within the Venetian National Archaeological Museum, focusing on the core collections formed by Cardinals Domenico and Giovanni Grimani and Procurator Federico Contarini. Deposited in the Statuario Pubblico della Serenissima in 1596, this closed complex represents a pivotal case study in sixteenth-century European antiquarianism and museum history. By integrating archival documentation, sixteenth-to-eighteenth-century inventory records, and early photographic evidence, the study reconstructs the historical transformations and iconography of these fragmentary marbles prior to early twentieth-century de-restorations. Furthermore, applying a tipological, Morellian method to morphological markers isolates specific restoration traits and identifies the artistic circles involved, including Tiziano Aspetti and the Lombardo workshop. Ultimately, the volume illuminates the intersection of Renaissance artistic production, classical scholarship, symbolic reinterpretation, and patrician collecting culture in Venice.