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In May of 1972, a Hungarian
ex-patriate, Laszlo Toth, broke through flimsy barricades, rushed
past slow-to-react Vatican guards and attacked Michelangelo's
Pieta with a 12-pound hammer.
He swung and smashed the
hammer into Mary's face, breaking off a large piece of the sculpture's
nose and gouging a piece out of the left eye. He also broke off
the fingers on her outstretched hand before Vatican guards finally
subdued him. In all, some 50 pieces lay scattered about the Basilica
floor.
Over the next year, Vatican
art restorers worked with precision equipment to repair the damage
done in the attack. The end of the Madonna's nose and the eyelid
near the corner of her eye were glued back into place. Synthetic
marble was used to repair the remaining damage done to the eye.
How ironic, after the precautions
taken to ensure the safety of this beautiful statue on its trip
to America for -- and at -- the Fair, that the Vatican would
provide such poor security to protect its priceless art treasure
back in Rome.
Source: Life Magazine,
The Beat of Life, Volume 73 Number 22, December 1, 1972
| Interesting to note...
Website visitor Todd Kelson adds, "It seems that a fellow
named Bob Hupka, a utility stage hand at CBS, was a photographer
and liturgical music expert. He was asked by the archdiocese
to program the music for the pavilion and lay out the sound system.
He had an opportunity to photograph the Pieta from all sorts
of unusual angles; above, below, many usually impossible to take,
while the statue was being moved in and out. He took dozens of
rolls of film, many of which sat in his freezer undeveloped for
years. After the attack he offered his hundreds of photos to
the Vatican which used many of them as guides for the restoration.
Some of Mr. Hupka's photos were published in a small volume in
the late 70s. So, it seems, the Pieta as restored today really
has a strong tie with the '64 Fair." -March 28, 2001 |
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