Giant Juno arrives in Boston
The goddess Juno has arrived at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, her final stop after a more than century-long journey from Rome. Measuring 13 feet and weighing 13,000 pounds, this colossal work is the largest Classical statue in the United States.
Dated to the Imperial Period, Juno probably graced a civic building or temple in Rome. The goddess is identified by
her crescent crown, drapery, and facial features. Revered by the Romans as guardian of marriage and childbirth,
Juno was also protector and special counsellor of the state. The daughter of Saturn, sister and wife of Jupiter, and mother of Mars and Vulcan, she was worshipped as part of the Capitoline triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva), the
three most important gods of the Roman state religion. Her Greek counterpart was Hera, wife of Zeus.
Juno is now on show in the MFA's George D and Margo Behrakis Wing for Art of the Ancient World. In order to support the conservation of this extraordinary statue, a public appeal for funding was launched. 'Our acquisition
of Juno provides a unique opportunity for everyone in the Museum family to be involved in the conservation of the largest Roman statue in the United States. Visitors will be able to observe the detailed process needed to return her to her former glory and can also support the effort through the MFA's public appeal,' announced Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA.
Juno's journey to the MFA was organised using state-of-the-art conservation methods and modes of transport. To ensure her safe arrival, she was encased in a specially built protective cradle. Because of her size, the statue and her cradle had to be lifted by crane, then lowered through a skylight into the museum. Visitors can now observe conservators working on the sculpture in situ as part of the MFA's Conservation in Action programme. Eventually, Juno will be the focal point of a gallery devoted to the gods, goddesses and heroes of ancient Greece and Rome.
'You would have to travel to Rome to see such a monumental and impressive marble sculpture,' said Christine Kondoleon, the MFA's George D and Margo Behrakis Senior Curator of Greek and Roman Art.
'MFA visitors will be awestruck by the physical presence of the gods and the power of the empire. We are delighted to welcome Juno to the MFA, where she will be an outstanding addition to the Museum's Greek and Roman collection, among the finest holdings in the world.'
Lindsay Fulcher
You can follow Juno's progress on the MFA's website at:
www.mfa.org/collections/conservation/conconservation conservationinaction_juno