Extensive traces of color were found on the Virgin with Child and Adoring Angels group of marble sculptures during the restoration of the Porta dei Cornacchini and marble cladding of the northern side of the Duomo of Florence, which measures over 1,000 square meters.

The restoration, which began in September 2021, confirmed that the group of sculptures had originally been multicoloured. This is the first time, Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore noted, that such extensive traces of colours have been found on sculptures adorning the exteriors of the Florence Duomo.

During the restoration, significant deposits and signs of degradation of several different natures were removed, bringing to light decoration on the clothing of the Child, the left eye of the Virgin, and – in smaller areas – bluish green of the inside of the mantle worn by the Virgin and traces of red on the outside.

The museum has said that this sculpture group was most likely not the only one on the Duomo in polychrome, though now they appear to be marble white.

The find has led to the image of the Duomo as one in color, with white, green, and pink on the exteriors and red and gold mosaics on the facade.

source: Ansa.it

Most spouses would sigh when their other half sends them to the shop to pick up some beers.

But this lucky lady was ecstatic with her errand after she walked out of her local shop £200,000 richer after doing the booze run for her husband.

Isabel Sandoval, 35, decided to take a gamble while browsing in her local store in Baltimore in the US state of Maryland. The mum-of-five fancied her chances on three aptly named Lady Luck scratch cards while picking up beers for her hubby after his long day at work.

She explained she used to regularly play the lottery games, but stopped after never winning any cash. But it seems the Greek goddess her scratch cards were named after decided to reward Isabel for her kindness towards her spouse.

The warehouse worker ended up bagging much more than she bargained for when she scooped £200,000 on the lotto ticket. She returned home from the store and discovered her spontaneous purchase had scooped her the top prize. An over-the-moon Isabel said of her win: “I actually stopped playing it for a bit because I wasn’t winning much. I told my friend, “It’s not for me. I knew right away it was a winner because I scratched off the horseshoe.”

source: The Sun