On April 5th, 2016, the final stage of installation of the sculptural group of the fountain "Neptune" took place in the Upper Garden of Peterhof. The restoration work of the fountain began in late January, 2015. This was the first large-scale restoration since its installation in Peterhof in 1799.
Current work consisted of the restoration of the metal sculpture of the fountain, its granite pedestals, as well as the reconstruction with the elements of the pond restoration, in which "Neptune" is set. The metal sculpture of the fountain and eight pedestals were restored in the workshops of the company "PIN". Two pedestals under the statues of "Neptune" and "Apollo Belvedere" were restored by the "Restoration Workshop "Heritage" directly on the spot.
During the restoration of the fountain, the surface was cleaned from all kinds of impurities, oxides and salt deposits. Ruptures, breaks, metal cracks and deformations were eliminated. Also the existied missing fragments in the author's material were recreated: the figures of two-headed Russian eagles on the field of two central "Shields with Сoats-of-Arms", as well as the small details on the sculptures "TheNymph with the Oar", "The Horseman on the Hippocampus", "The Boy on the Dolphin", "The Boy on the Dragon". The reconstruction of losses was carried out according to the historical, archival and graphic materials available in the archive of the State Museum-Reserve "Peterhof". According to Anton Papirovsky, one of the restorers: more than fifty details were recreated, including the shields of Nuremberg, the decorations of nymphs, fins of dolphins and wings of dragons. The restorers also conducted an inspection of fasteners with replacement of the old and manufacturing of the new ones, restored the patina in the places of loss and on the restored parts matching the author's patination.
The pond with a total area of 2,656.0 sq.m., in which the fountain is located, was also subject to restoration: the clay screen was resurrected at the bottom of the pond, the walls of the bowl and the underwater underground collector were reconstructed, the transit cast iron pipelines and foundations of the sculptural groups were restored.
Speaking to reporters, the General Director of the State Museum-Reserve "Peterhof" Yelena Yakovlevna Kalnitskaya noted, that the completion of this difficult restoration is a great event for the museum-reserve, since the fountain "Neptune" has not only a complex history of wartime, but also its special, notional and psychological value for Peterhof - the sea residence.