A bronze statue nicknamed Morgante in the Sunken Garden at Hever Castle has undergone restoration after falling into the pond.
Hever Castle worked with Hall Conservation who cleaned, repaired and re-gilded the Morgante statue after it became submerged in the water.
The water feature dates back to 17th/18th century and depicts Court Dwarf Morgante who was the court dwarf of Cosimo I de’ Medicini, the duke of Florence and Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The sculpture is moulded after the image of Morgante riding on a dragon by Italian artist, Giambologna.
Experts from Hall Conservation manually cleaned the Morgante statue to remove dirt and corrosion as well as repairing the back body of the dragon and the fish’s mouth.
The inner piping of the Morgante statue was cleaned out and new piping installed to ensure he could work again as a water feature.
Then the Morgante sculpture was prepared, primed and painted before being gilded to shine once more.
Brian Hall of Hall Conservation said, “We were sorry to hear about the statue’s accidental swim, but delighted to be asked to restore the fine figure to its former glory. After treatment from our specialist restoration experts in our Greenwich workshops, Morgante was looking as good as new and ready to return to its home in the beautiful hidden Sunken Garden at Hever Castle.”
Visitors to Hever Castle’s 125 acre stunning gardens will now be able to see the Morgante statue again in the Sunken Garden in the Italian Garden, the vision of former owner William Waldorf Astor.
The Sunken Garden is hidden in the centre of the Italian Garden behind a tall hedge, originally designed as a `Roman Bath’, complete with marble pavement.
Surrounded by yew hedges and full of exotic planting, it almost has its own microclimate, providing a beautiful sun trap even on a windy day.
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Within the grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, there are two opportunities for you to stay the night with us.
Hever Castle has played host to many important events and celebrations for over 600 years. In 1903 when William Waldorf Astor set about restoring Hever Castle to its former glory, he added the Astor Wing, to accommodate his family and guests, before creating a lake and the spectacular Italian Garden to house his impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary.
There are multiple places to eat & drink across the Hever Castle Estate. Select between the Castle & Gardens and Golf Club below to discover more.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, Hever Castle Golf Club is a 27 hole Kent golf course that will encourage and inspire all golf enthusiasts.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, the Wellbeing Centre consists of five smart treatment rooms.
