Heavydrive dismantles glass display cases for 15th century artworks

After the exhibition ‘Florence and its Painters: from Giotto to Leonardo da Vinci’ in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Heavydrive team dismantled the glass display cases of two 15th century works. The job required flexible and compact assembly devices and particularly accurate operation. They used the Heavydrive ML 51 assembly lift and two VSG 320 PL suction systems for long, narrow panes.

One glass cover measuring 1.2m tall and 60cm wide was used to house the work ‘Titus Livius. De bello macedonico’ from the year 1470. The book was created by Mariano del Buono and Piero di Benedetto Strozzi. To dismantle the 92kg glass case, a load arm was attached to the ML 51 assembly lift to which two vacuum suction systems could be mounted. The suction systems gripped the glass cover from two sides simultaneously and it was able to be safely lifted over the work of art.

The glass cover for the painting ‘Madonna and Child’ by Filippo Lippi from 1465 was removed just as smoothly. This time, the two VSG 320 PL suction systems gripped the glass case from two sides and the assembly lift could lift the case weighing more than 100kg over the painting. Within just five minutes, the painting was uncovered and ready to be transported back to the lender, the Palazzo Medici.