As we know, targeted activism is the best medicine for mental paralysis brought on by human stupidity… Inspired by their trip to Rome, Dieter and Malgorzata work diligently on the construction of the Pantheon. As the video shows, the shell of the model is almost complete. Fly with us and maybe enjoy the great architecture of the old masters, which can still bring us closer to the beauty of human creativity even after 2000 years…
Dieter and Malgorzata visit Rome to study the details of the Pantheon for the construction of the model. Of course they also enjoy spring and are inspired by the charm of this unique city…
The dome of the Pantheon, with an inner diameter of 43.30 m was the largest of its kind for a long time, built with Roman concrete OPUS CAEMENTICIUM Its coffered structure posed a great challenge for Dieter and Malgorzata. First they make a negative mold, which is then filled with 7 layers of cork. The individual segments are then joined together to form the imposing dome.
The floor of the Pantheon, which corresponds to the diameter of the dome (43.3m), is inlaid with a pattern of large squares and circles in PORPHYRY, gray GRANITE and Gialla Antico, a coveted yellow marble from SIMITTHU, framed by strips of Pavonanzetto. In order to reproduce this valuable material realistically, the cork base of the model is first coated with chalk primer and later sanded. Then Dieter and Malgorzata apply the intricate pattern in many layers of paint to get the desired effect…
For most people, the mere memory of visiting the PANTHEON in Rome arouses great emotional feelings, combined with a longing to return to this magical place. So why not bring the object to the viewer?! Dieter and Malgorzata will face this great challenge. They plan over a year to produce a cork model scale 1:50, which should also show the complete interior with its elaborate equipment. Let’s watch the two of them at work and follow the single steps of this forgotten craft until completion…
A new designed building by the Berlin studio KAHLFELD ARCHITECTS is the base for the next cork model from Dieter and Malgorzata. The task is to turn the time further into the future and to capture the imaginary decay in maybe 2000 years – an interesting perspective from two points of view …
Malgorzata uses natural pigments from the ROUSSILLON in France, which can be found in the landscape there, for the surface of the model. This work takes a lot of time because the paint is applied in several layers in order to achieve the desired result. After that, the pillars must be fixed. A final „make-up“ follows to highlight the contours …
The Vesta Temple in Tivoli was a must for travelers on the „Grand Tour“ in the 18th century. It was, and still is, a symbol of Romanticism in painting and architecture. Dieter and Malgorzata have tried to capture this effect in a new cork model.
The FLUTING of the columns is the next step in Dieter’s work. He engraves the cannelures by hand and uses special grinding tools for this purpose…
After restoring the engravings Dieter refreshes the pale colours of the pyramid. As the last step, he uses a special vernice to protect the surface. The object is now ready to be exhibited…
After its long journey across the ocean the Colosseum safely reached San Francisco. There in a famous private collection it is now the centerpiece of the exhibit surrounded by other models of the 19th century.
Restoration work is done and the Colosseum was packed and left Dieter´s studio to cross the ocean and all the way through the States to San Francisco / California. A four month project that helps a ruin surviving the next 300 years…
Back from the Provence Dieter uses the natural pigments he got to set warm “late afternoon sunlight” on the surface of the Colosseum. This very important part of the work appeals to our emotions and is the final tough of every restoration…
To finish his work Dieter follows the footsteps of the old masters. They only used natural pigments to colour their objects. No chemical reaction destroys the surface of the cork and the smooth expression of the sculptures survive for centuries. To get the pigments Dieter visits one of his most favourite spots in the Provence – the small village Roussillon. Here he takes a bath in colours inspired by nature…
VIDEO ABOUT WHAT WE KNOW …but never forget – You are visiting the most bloodiest spot in the world…
work on the Colosseum reaches a significant stage. The monument has to be “married” with its base. 150 points must be glued at the same time connected with 13 wooden dowels.
This demanding action can not be done by one alone. Dieter has support from his friends Stefan and Gerd. Together they achieve a perfect result. This effort has the purpose of creating an unbreakable connection that will last for the next 300 years…
Now the upper section of the facade is nearly finished including the brackets which support the wooden poles for the shading construction. We don’t know much about that, because all that disappeared during the centuries. Watch here a video about an idea how the VELARIUM could have worked.
After the capitals where dipped in different liquids, the elements are glued on the facade. Now the proportions are visible again as well as the order of the columns…
After the drying process of the silicon Dieter prepares the “filling” according to an old recipe. The main ingredient is powdered clay but also other components are necessary to get the best result.
The most important is to get the bubbles out of the liquid. After the drying every single piece must be taken out of the mold carefully. In further steps they must be cleaned with a rotating brush and later coloured with natural pigments…
… by Prof. Dr. Valentin Kockel
Not much is known about the life of Luigi Carotti. Models from his workshop are documented for the period from 1830 to 1850. During this time, he worked out of premises in Via delle Vite, and – before or after this period – in Via del Boschetto, as we know from the English labels on his models. Both streets are situated near Piazza di Spagna, where foreign visitors tended to take their lodgings when in Rome.
So far we mainly know of models depicting the ruins of Rome, the usual highlights of every visit: the Arch of Constantine, Colosseum, Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Mars Ultor, Temple of Saturn and the Column of Phocas. Amongst these, the highly elaborate and therefore costly Colosseum stands out the most. Carotti was able to sell this model at least three times. Compared to the models of his predecessors, it represented the actual state of the monument, as it showed the restorations of 1807 und 1823. The choice of depicting the hardly spectacular late Antique Column of the Emperor Phocas on the Roman Forum was probably due to the interests of English travelers: the column was first excavated during the French occupation and a second time in 1817 by the Duchess of Devonshire. The overall increased interest in Greek Doric architecture that prevailed in the 19th century is attested to by models of the temples in Paestum and Sicily.
Initially, Carotti’s models were probably bought by private collectors, but later became part of the collections of learned societies (Edinburgh, St. Petersburg) or museums (Cambridge and Altenburg). The Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg (Thuringia) is the only institution to hold a larger number of models with eight specimen, amongst them a well-preserved Colosseum. Individual models have appeared on the art market, often heavily fragmented. One of these was the model of the Colosseum that is now held by the Piraneseum (San Francisco) and is being restored by Dieter Coellen.
Carotti’s work occurred at a time when interest in cork models was already on the decline. In Rome, he seems to have been the last of his profession whose oeuvre we can still follow at least fragmentarily. Compared to the works of Chichi and Lucangeli (Rome), Padiglione (Naples) or Georg May (Germany) his models appear somewhat dry. Apart from using massive cork as primary building material, Carotti utilized reddish, fired terracotta elements for ornamental details, such as friezes and capitals of the Corinthian order. Their colour has often faded away, but would originally have produced a strangely spotted effect.
On the facade of the Colosseum we find Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns. Carotti modeled them very accurately in this small scale. But most of them are lost ore crumbled to dust. To make the original beauty visible again, Dieter first produces silicon moulds of the best pieces….
After the drying process he will be able to pour the negative in further stepps…
Imagine yourself – sitting there on a Sunday morning in company with some friends having this spectacular view of the Colosseum. Some birds are singing in the trees interrupted by the roaring noise of more than 50 000 people hypnotized by a bloody fight behind that beautiful facade…
For many years Carottis Colosseum was destroyed and nothing more than a ruined ruin. Now for the first time the outer wall is rebuilt. There is still a lot of restoring work to do but we can already imagine the beauty of this monument. A beauty that is deceptive, because this wall hid one of the most bloodiest spots in the world…
Most of the pillars of the outer wall are lost, broken or not in an upright position. Each of them needs to be restored or rebuilt. A constructed “horizon” helps Dieter with the assembly…
Here we see the big “Sperone di Pio VII” constructed by Giovanni Stern in 1807 under Pope Pius in order to stabilize the outer wall. Built with bricks and temporary plastered it has always been criticized…
Jonson, Cura dei monumenti, Stockholm 1986
Researched by Prof. Dr. Valentin Kockel
In the 18th century even the Carotti´s Cork model of the Colosseum found its way across the Alps in order to teach people about unknown culture and architecture. To get to those unknown historical spots the first tourists spent years for treveling but when they came back home their intellectual status had grown up and this was the key into a new age..
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So lets “hit the dusty trail” together with Cevin McCloud on his GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE. In this 3rd episode of his travel documentation he takes us to Rome where we also can watch Dieter at his open air studio – in the Forum…
Luigi Carotti dusted the base of the Colosseum with cork powder. But during the years it disappeared and only a bit remained on the “twin model” at the Lindenau Museum.
Dieter does the same steps as Carotti but like in a “time machine” he erodes the surface to get a similar expression…
As we learn from Carottis other Colosseum model at the Lindenau-Museum the old master constructed its base from solid wood, which was the way to do at his time. The problem was that the wood “works” and damages the cork. Today we use plywood for a solid construction.
Dieter does so too but with respect to Luigi Carotti and his way to work he shows the same structure of the surface, even if this is not necessary…
The west wing of the model was extremely damaged and badly treated. Now – step by step – Dieter rebuilds the missing parts or replaces the broken like in a puzzle…
The next step is to complete one of the six oval construction walls of the Colosseum. This is a very difficult step of reconstruction work because the new part must be fitted exactly between the existing elements.
One third of the inner facade is lost and must be reconstructed. For this purpose Dieter has to get the cork in oval shape. He does this in the same way like the old masters did…
During the centuries the model was badly treated and broken parts where fitted incorrectly with the wrong glue. Dieter has to cut through the whole structure and work like a surgeon to stabilize the fragile cork and heal the wounded sections…
Together with Dieter we have a rare look into the basement of the Colosseum from underneath.
Lots of wall pillars are broken or even lost. It needs wooden dowels to guarantee a solid connection between old and new…
for the second time Dieter Cöllen is going to restore the Colosseum – another cork model and masterpiece from Luigi Carotti (1842?). In 2017 Cöllen made his experiences with the one in the collection of the Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg/Germany.
This “twin” piece of a private owner is unfortunately in bad condition and it will take Cöllens entire knowledge and perfect cork material to bring it back to that ruin Carotti once created.
Starting with a solid base from plywood Cöllen reconstructs first the missing inner part of the arena.
Than the cork has to be “ruined” and colored with natural pigments even Carotti used at his time.
„WELCOME TO JERUSALEM“
What else is more important than to finish a project with real emotional connection to the theme…
I did today and the model of the Wailing Wall is on its way to Berlin. Good luck…
The first came to pray…
Slow work on the wailing Wall – but lots of fun. Now the construction is done and coloring is in preparation…
Starting restauration work at the beautiful Lindenau-Museum today. The cork model was made 1845 by Luigi Carotti. Dieter Cöllen wants the audience to look over his sholder and answers questions about his work and the forgotten technique of „Phelloplastik“ Lindenau-Museum
The cork model gets slowly it´s charakter. Every single stone is different…
Foto: Punctum, Bertram Kober
Cork artist Dieter Cöllen will move his studio to the Lindenau Museum, Altenburg, for a week to do restoration work on a cork model of the Coliseum (Luigi Carotti, around 1845). On October 20th, 2017 from 3 pm to 6 pm and October 22th from 10 am to 1 pm. Interested museum visitors have the chance to look over the artits shoulder and learn more about the forgotten art of „phelloplastic“ and the difficulties of cork restoration.
The Mughrabi Gate is located on the north side of the Wailing Wall, directly over the Herodian-period gate known as Barclay´s Gate. Over the years the ground level outside Barclay´s Gate rose by many meters above its threshold and was finally walled up in the 10th century. Later in the 12th century a new gate called Bab al-Maghreb was installed at the level of the Temple Mount esplanade. The Gate is open until today and the only entrance to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims.
Here, Dieter Cöllen is going to create a miniature of the gate (scale 1:75) in order to integrate it later into the wall.
After three months of intensive work, Dieter Cöllen has now completed the cork model of the Baal temple.
He is delighted by the extensive press response – Der Spiegel, NRT , Video – as well as by the positive appraisals of many archaeologists and contemporary witnesses. In his Blog he tried to report on the progress of the works in real time, and put them up for discussion. Even for the invisible details he kept to the archaeological stone plans, so that the model can be used for studying the structural design. However, Dieter also placed great value on colour reproduction, in order not to disregard emotional concerns.
Dieter convinced that the physical presence of this monument is crucial for understanding its history, as well as our own cultural roots.
The catalyst for Dieter´s efforts was his initially powerless rage over such senseless destruction, which he was soon able, however, to transform into creative energy. The model was therefore created entirely independently and without third-party, financial support.
After all that ‘constructive’ time, Dieter now has to give some serious thought to his livelihood again. He has two visions for this:
„I also understand my work to be the result of my personal resistance, I can imagine creating editions that can be acquired by collectors with the same interests, so this way they can become a driving force and support for a shared idea.“
„The continuing destruction of ancient monuments could demand a gallery of our cultural heritage that is lost or deserving of protection. Models of these objects could be placed in context with their past, as well as with current developments, and lead to improved understanding of history.“
„Of course I would be pleased to hear your ideas on this subject as well. My urge to continue is unbridled, but of course I dream of being able to work towards a greater goal…“
Dieter Cöllen 28.08.2016
finishing the cork work Dieter invites you for a tour around the temple. After one year since it’s destruction we are now able again to enjoy the beauty of this unique and powerful monument.
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