The reconstruction of the “Fontana di Sala Grande”: And some hypothesis about its original layout

In the middle of the XVI century, in Florence, Bartolomeo Ammannati was working on a monumental, rich and sensual fountain. This marble wonder was planned to be placed in the ancient “Sala Grande” (the “Great Hall” several years later to become “Salone dei Cinquecento”) inside Palazzo Vecchio. Then for some reasons, maybe because of technical troubles, maybe because of some rethinking about the place, the fountain was mounted in the Pratolino Villa and later brought to the Boboli\´s Garden. All the sculptures composing the fountain: a Venus, a couple of allegoric Arno and Arbia rivers, a Juno goddess, two peafowls and the figures of Prudenza and Fiorenza; were finally placed in the National Bargello Museum, to rest dismantled as single elements for a long time. In the late 70\´s some relevant studies undertaken by Detlef Heikamp, in the past years allowed to start the first reconstruction hypothesis about the original composition. The work presented here will show the story, the procedures and the methodology operated by our team during the 2010 to rebuild the fountain to the original composition, digitally working of the remains and reconstructing the missing parts, to reach the final result represented by the current, permanent, exhibition of the complete group in the Bargello Museum. Furthermore a meaningful attention will be given to the digital reconstruction of the “what if” version of the "Salone dei Cinquecento" with the fountain placed in, flooded by the sun reflecting in its water. A research where the digital survey, the digital modeling and an accurate investigation go back to the real to resurrect a monument lost for a long time.