Work which remains hidden

This film is a documentation of the restoration work of the classical bronze statue “The Praying Boy” (Der Betende Knabe). The statue, which was casted around 300 B.C., has been found near the city walls of Rhodes in 1503. After a journey through various European royal collections, it was finally purchased by Frederick the Great of Prussia in 1747. In the course of the centuries the statue has undergone many restorations and several completions have been added. The restoration of the statue was preceded by a meticulous examination using different methods trying to answer the question of the casting technique used in antiquity, as well as to find traces of former restorations and to identify later completions. These results have been the basic information for further restoration: dismounting the statue, installing a new interior framework and putting it together again. After completion of the statue’s restoration there is no visible change in its appearance.