Giotto’s famed fresco cycle depicting St. Francis of Assisi restored in Florence
The restored cycle reveals Giotto’s original colors and techniques after layers of whitewash and damage were removed, with 250 donors contributing 700,000 euros.
- In Florence, the Basilica of Santa Croce unveiled Giotto's 14th-century "Stories of St. Francis" frescoes last week after a four-year restoration, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the saint's death on Oct. 4.
- Centuries of damage, including 18th-century lime whitewash and failed 1851 cleaning attempts, necessitated the extensive project, which consolidated fragile plasterwork and removed non-original synthetic grouting from 1950s interventions.
- Private donors provided 700,000 euros toward the 1.3 million euro cost, while restorers utilized ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners to create a 3D model of the 180 square meters of artwork.
- Emanuela Daffra, superintendent of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, said the restoration removed layers obscuring Giotto's original vision, revealing his "profound capacity for expression" and clarifying the figures' gazes.
- Depicting seven episodes from the life of Francis within the Bardi Chapel, the works illustrate the innovative techniques that informed the Renaissance, a legacy begun when The Bardi family commissioned Giotto.
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Restored St. Francis' Stories in Santa Croce in Florence
Associated Press News
Giotto's famed fresco cycle depicting St. Francis of Assisi restored in Florence
A cycle of frescoes by Italian 14th-century master Giotto, depicting key moments in the life of St. Francis of Assisi, has been unveiled after a four-year restoration.
Giotto's Stories of Saint Francis have returned to their former glory at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence after a loving restoration lasting four years. (ANSA)
The restoration of the Stories of St. Francis, in the Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce, in Florence, taking care of a masterpiece, returns a clearer reading of the Giotto painting, highlighting its vital richness, expressive intensity, the revolutionary conception of the painted space and its relationship with the real one. To present the important intervention are now Alessandro Tortorella, director of the Fondo Edizioni di Culto [...]
After four years of conservation work, Giotto's cycle of frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi in the Bardi Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence has been restored to its former glory. The renovation has allowed for a better portrayal of the Italian master's expressiveness and spatial solutions, revolutionary for his time. As the Austrian agency APA emphasized on September 12th, the work "sharpened the pers…
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