A 15th-century statue that broke into pieces when it fell from its pedestal at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is going back on display after a 12-year repair job.

The life-size marble figure of Adam by Tullio Lombardo is the first installation in the new Venetian Sculpture Gallery at the museum.

In October 2002, the statue fell when one side of its pedestal gave way. It broke into 28 large pieces and numerous small fragments.

Museum staff and materials scientists worked together to repair it, with the museum saying that led to a new model in the conservation of large sculptures.

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