There are several different versions of how the statue of Venus de Milo was dismembered. One of them says that the hands were broken during a fight between Turkish and French sailors on the shore of Milos. Another story simply implies that they were already missing when Olivier Voutier and the farmer found the work of art. It would also be fair to assume that it was a blatant mistake of statue movers who didn’t manage to measure the door or arch opening size. Jokes aside, moving statues is quite hard going, and professional help is a must if you don’t want your piece to lose some of its essential parts.
How Could Statue Movers Save Venus de Milo’s Arms?
Art movers in 150 and 125 BC probably didn’t have some specialized equipment for handling and mounting sculptures, so they had to come up with some curious ways of moving bulky and heavy objects of value. Nowadays, it is much different, and every moving company has a range of packing and handling supplies to transport even the most oddly shaped and fragile items.
So if we teleport a team of statue movers back in the past, the chances are that Venus de Milo wouldn’t lose her hands at all. The crux of the matter, however, is that the ancient masterpiece is no different from the statues you have at home now, as the value they hold for you is probably even bigger. In this sense, technological evolution is on your side.
The Challenges of Moving Statues
Statues come in all shapes and sizes, to say nothing of numerous materials used for creation. Igneous rock, sandstone, alabaster, marble, and bronze are a tiny list of what is used in the process of erecting sculptures. All these factors are considered by professional statue movers who need to understand all the risks and dangers that can occur during transportation. Not only do antique items, but also many modern objects require special care and attention, especially taking into account the fact that their cost may go up to thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The morale is that art, whether it is Venus de Milo or a piece of kinetic sculpture in the backyard of your house, is a highly precious valuable, and you need to care for it as well as you can. In this, you may rely on Fine Art Shippers’ time-tested services. Even though our statue movers didn’t handle Venus de Milo, they can certainly help your sculpture save a hand or a leg in transit.