They considered it lost: they found the statue of John the Baptist in Brno decades later
Tomáš Martinák turned to the representative of Brno with the discovery of the statue. He found it while clearing out his studio after his grandfather, and together with experts from the National Monuments Institute, they identified the statue as John the Baptist, existing in Olomoucká Street. “The statue was removed from there in the past as the road widened. It was then planned to be restored, so it probably got into the studio of Mr. Martinák’s grandfather, but in the end it probably came to fruition and the statue was forgotten, “says Jiří Oliva, Deputy Mayor for Property Management.
The statue has been listed as missing in the city’s collections for decades. Oliva is very happy with the discovery. “It is a valuable Baroque work, which is in a state of disrepair due to time and deserves special care. Until it is repaired, we will find adequate space for it, “Oliva promised.
Restoration work is to be completed within eight months. The city will pay less than ninety thousand crowns without tax for them. “The subject of restoration restoration is, among other things, strengthening, supplementing modeling, because the saints lack the left hand, reconstruction of the halo, including gilding, reconstruction of attributes and the like,” said Radka Loukotová from the press department of the Brno City Hall.
The restorer is also responsible for placing the statue in a designated location that has not yet been determined.