Some mangled mosaics have been causing controversy in Turkey's southern city of Antakya.
At least ten of the precious artifacts, which were badly damaged during restoration works, are now "caricatures of their former selves," according to mosaic craftsman Mehmet Daşkapan, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The pieces, which were to be displayed at the Hatay Archaeology Museum and include famous panels depicting the sacrifice of Isaac and a mosaic of Narcissus, are thought to be beyond repair.
“Valuable pieces from the Roman period have been ruined," Daşkapan said. "Some are in an especially poor condition and have lost their originality and value.”
Ancient mosaics in Turkey seriously damaged thanks to "restoration" work @HDNER http://t.co/4w4xOY5ain pic.twitter.com/7eh40PL2CE— Elif Şafak / Shafak (@Elif_Safak) May 4, 2015
“The panel that I saw could not have been the original mosaic from the 2nd century A.D. Some of its stones are missing, while others have been misplaced, creating a discordant look,” Daşkapan added.
Ancient #mosaics seriously damaged during restoration in #Turkey’s Hatay http://t.co/QTd1mjhEFo pic.twitter.com/lbBznklVwe— Hurriyet Daily News (@HDNER) May 4, 2015
An investigation into the craftsman's allegations has been launched and all restoration work has been suspended, the paper reports.
The people responsible for the restoration work, meanwhile, have said they're not at fault and instead laid the blame at the feet of French restorers from the 1930s. They said that the addition of painted stones and varnishing contributed to the mess.
One cartoonist, Selçuk Erdem, joked that the restoration work was an attempt to create Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's likeness.
Ancient figure ends up like Erdoğan's face after botched restoration, Turkish cartoonist says http://t.co/JObPYTh1WV pic.twitter.com/Zrp4JAHSHy— Hurriyet Daily News (@HDNER) May 4, 2015
Whoever is responsible, though, has not quite matched the efforts of Cecilia Gimenez, whose restoration work on a fresco of Christ was so bad it became a massive tourist attraction in Borja, Spain.
