The very important polychrome statues of the Prophets, dating back to the 13th century, depict the prophets David, Zechariah, Abacuc and Sofonia and are located in 4 niches in the upper part of the Zen Chapel, inside St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

The statues before the restoration had a thick layer of compact and uniform surface deposit due to dust, candlelight fumes and altered old protective treatments.

In particular, the polychrome of the surfaces was completely blurred, the drapery of the clothes, the facial features and the entire plastic harmony of the sculptures was compromised.

The cleaning operation was certainly the most delicate, as we could not risk losing precious pigments of colour. After a series of cleaning tests, documented with special cards, it was decided to pursue a differentiated cleaning system. This gave excellent results and brought to light the original polychromy of the statues, whose colours were only partially reinstated, in the gaps that interrupted their reading, using, in subtone, watercolour colours.