Overview

• The peer-reviewed analysis in Antiquity used lead isotope testing on a fragment to match the statue’s copper to deposits in China’s Lower Yangtze valley.
• Archaeologists from the University of Padua and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice led the research after examining samples preserved from earlier restorations.
• Tooling marks and scars indicate the original figure once bore horns and other features later removed or altered to create the winged emblem of St Mark.
• The bronze was set on its current column in the 13th century, with the earliest recorded repair in 1293, and the supporting column itself originates from Anatolia.
• Scholars note that theories about the statue’s journey, including a possible Polo family role, remain unproven, and the precise route and timing of its reworking are still unresolved.