HERITAGE – Under Villa Medici, 2000 years of history
Hortense de Corneillan
June 2023
Installation as part of the exhibition Una linea storta tesa
Restorer and former fellow 2022-2023 Hortense de Corneillan tells the ancient story of Villa Medici, presenting the remains of an intimacy dating back over 2000 years.
In 2012, the partial collapse of a retaining wall at Villa Medici took with it part of the Bosco terrace embankment. This accidental event uncovered several hundred fragments of ancient artefacts, once recycled as earthworks material.
Hortense de Corneillan presented the installation Tri sélectif in June 2023 as part of the Fellow’ Exhibition Una linea storta tesa.
In this video, plunge into the heart of this installation and discover the ancient remains that the artist is showing us.
HORTENSE DE CORNEILLAN
Born in Paris in 1980, Hortense de Corneillan is a heritage restorer specializing in ceramics and glass. She was a fellow at Villa Medici in 2022-2023, focusing on 19th-century restorations of ancient vases found in Etruria. Considering these modifications as cultural markers, testifying to a shifting relationship with the ancient object, she wished to question their gradual disappearance during modern restoration campaigns. At the same time, she explored the possibilities of mediation around vases reworked during restoration.
IMAGE CRÉDITS
Cover image © Hortense de Corneillan
Cover image © Daniele Molajoli
Vidéo © Pier Tommaso Carrescia for the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici