The restoration of Carlo Crivelli's Madonna and Child, preserved in the Civic Museums of Palazzo Buonaccorsi in Macerata, has led to one of the most important discoveries in recent years around the Venetian painter and, more generally, the Italian artistic context of the 15th century. The painting has come down to us through incredible conservation vicissitudes that can only be partially reconstructed through sources. For more than a century, scholars have debated every aspect of the work, nevertheless remaining in agreement that the canvas is the result of transport from a panel, probably larger in size, cut and readjusted while saving the main figures: a painting maimed and altered in its material and perceptual aspect, considered, therefore, secondary in the Venetian master's catalog. In 2022 the decision was made to have the Madonna restored. The complex and very delicate intervention made it possible to discover that the work, instead, from its origin was made on canvas, the only one, to our knowledge, executed on such a support by Carlo Crivelli. The datum revolutionized studies on the Venetian painter, considered an undisputed master of panel painting, thus opening up new research scenarios and sparking a wide debate among specialists and confirming, once again, the use of canvas as a support for works of a devotional character even in the 15th century. The book brings together the results of the restoration and the complex diagnostic investigations that accompanied it, constituting an account of the substantial conservation intervention, contextualized within the framework of the historical analysis of the canvas, its reception and musealization.
Il restauro della Madonna con il Bambino di Carlo Crivelli, conservata nei Musei civici di palazzo Buonaccorsi a Macerata, ha portato a una delle più importanti scoperte degli ultimi anni intorno al pittore veneziano e, più in generale, al contesto artistico italiano del XV secolo. Il dipinto è giunto fino a noi attraverso incredibili vicissitudini conservative, solo in parte ricostruibili attraverso le fonti. Per oltre un secolo gli studiosi hanno dibattuto su ogni aspetto dell’opera, restando tuttavia concordi nel ritenere la tela frutto del trasporto da una tavola, probabilmente di dimensioni maggiori, tagliata e riadattata salvando le figure principali: un dipinto menomato e alterato nel suo aspetto materico e percettivo, ritenuto, dunque, secondario nel catalogo del maestro veneziano. Nel 2022 è stata presa la decisione di far restaurare la Madonna. Il complesso e delicatissimo intervento ha permesso di scoprire che l’opera, invece, fin dall'origine è stata realizzata su tela, l’unica, a nostra conoscenza, eseguita su tale supporto da Carlo Crivelli. Il dato ha rivoluzionato gli studi sul pittore veneziano, ritenuto un indiscusso maestro della pittura su tavola, aprendo quindi nuovi scenari di ricerca e suscitando un ampio dibattito fra gli specialisti e confermando, ancora una volta, l’impiego della tela quale supporto per opere a carattere devozionale anche nel XV secolo. Il libro raccoglie i risultati del restauro e delle complesse indagini diagnostiche che lo hanno accompagnato, costituendo il resoconto del consistente intervento conservativo, contestualizzato nel quadro dell'analisi storica della tela, della sua ricezione e musealizzazione.
Il restauro della Madonna di Macerata di Carlo Crivelli. La riscoperta di un capolavoro su tela
Coltrinari F.;
2023-01-01
Abstract
The restoration of Carlo Crivelli's Madonna and Child, preserved in the Civic Museums of Palazzo Buonaccorsi in Macerata, has led to one of the most important discoveries in recent years around the Venetian painter and, more generally, the Italian artistic context of the 15th century. The painting has come down to us through incredible conservation vicissitudes that can only be partially reconstructed through sources. For more than a century, scholars have debated every aspect of the work, nevertheless remaining in agreement that the canvas is the result of transport from a panel, probably larger in size, cut and readjusted while saving the main figures: a painting maimed and altered in its material and perceptual aspect, considered, therefore, secondary in the Venetian master's catalog. In 2022 the decision was made to have the Madonna restored. The complex and very delicate intervention made it possible to discover that the work, instead, from its origin was made on canvas, the only one, to our knowledge, executed on such a support by Carlo Crivelli. The datum revolutionized studies on the Venetian painter, considered an undisputed master of panel painting, thus opening up new research scenarios and sparking a wide debate among specialists and confirming, once again, the use of canvas as a support for works of a devotional character even in the 15th century. The book brings together the results of the restoration and the complex diagnostic investigations that accompanied it, constituting an account of the substantial conservation intervention, contextualized within the framework of the historical analysis of the canvas, its reception and musealization.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
