Journal - Comune di Monteleone di Spoleto

64
6. The head of the eagle at the tip of the pole may have
been secured by an iron band, traces of which are still
attached (see cat. 17). in the absence of proof it was not
reproduced.
7. The piece joining the two bronze elements of the yoke
is purely hypothetical, given that an actual reconstruction
would have been arbitrary even if it had been feasible using
comparable vehicles from more recent periods. 2 The position
of the yoke is also hypothetical: the crossbar would
have been closer to the end of the pole, but the reconstruction
called for a more convenient position with a completely
reversible system of attachment.
Other adjuncts and materials. all the parts of the chariot
originally made of leather—most particularly the covering
of the rails that encased the body of the car and at the same
time served as a backing for the bronze revetments—have
been omitted. all the lashings, straps, and other elements
that connected the individual parts of the chariot have been
left out as well. They would have been made of rawhide and
other organic materials such as fibers. Their omission was
based primarily on aesthetics. leaving the backs of the three
bronze panels of the car exposed allows visitors to see both
sides of the splendid repoussé work, and specialists and
conservators can now inspect all surfaces. most of the few
fragments of ivory inlays for which a location on the chariot
seemed identifiable were omitted because the small white
spots would have distracted from the repoussé and tracing
work. The tusks on the boar protome were repositioned
because they are integral parts of the animal’s anatomy, and
the inlays on the rear finials are part of the substructure, not
the bronze embellishment. all the decisions concerning
details of the chariot’s display were taken in 2004 after
repeated consultation with everyone responsible for, and
participating in, the project, under the guidance of then
museum director Philippe de montebello.
B. Measurements of the chariot as reconstructed
apart from slight differences of a few centimeters more or
less due to missing evidence, the measurements of the
reconstructed chariot match those of the original vehicle.
Overall
Total height 50 in. (127 cm)
Total length 120 in. (305 cm)
Total width 56 1⁄4 in. (143 cm), perhaps plus 3⁄4–1 5⁄8 in.
(2–4 cm)
Gauge (distance between the wheels)
36 5⁄8 in. (93 cm)
Body
Height 33 1⁄2 in. (85 cm) (with the strip partly overlapping
the base)
length 35 3⁄8 in. (90 cm)
Width of body on axle 19 3⁄4 in. (50 cm)
Draft pole
Total length 86 3⁄4 in. (220.5 cm), perhaps plus 3⁄8– 3⁄4 in.
(1–2 cm)
distance from end of pole to body of chariot (projection
onto the ground) 86 in. (218.5 cm)