A long-forgotten fresco by the early Renaissance master Fra Angelico has emerged from centuries of neglect in a secluded Tuscan convent, newly restored just in time for a landmark exhibition in neighboring Florence. Hidden high in the chapter house of San Domenico in Fiesole, the quietly majestic Crucifixion—possibly the artist’s earliest known work—has been painstakingly revived by conservators, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the spiritual and artistic beginnings of one of Italy’s most revered painters.
The simple but powerful image of Jesus on the cross against a deep purple-blue ground was produced by Fra Angelico shortly after he moved into the convent of San Domenico in around 1420, when he was in his mid-twenties. High up in the convent’s chapter house, it is among his earliest recorded works and may even be the first. Later, the friar-turned-painter went on to work in many Italian cities, including Florence and Rome.
The convent remains off the beaten trail in a remote church in the hilltop town of Fiesole, so only the most intrepid tourists have made the pilgrimage to see it over the centuries. It’s no surprise, then, that the secluded artwork had languished in a state of disrepair. That is until last year, when it was encountered by Bottega Belacqua, a trio of Italian and American doctors who are passionate about Renaissance art. The group raised the alarm with Friends of Florence, a U.S. non-profit dedicated to the preservation of the city’s cultural legacy, which was able to provide the funding necessary to assemble a team of Italian restorers.
