A Rare Renaissance Fresco That Could Be One of
Fra Angelico’s Earliest Works Has Been Restored to Its Former Glory
Located in a secluded convent outside of Florence,
the 600-year-old artwork was concealed behind layers of paint for most of its history
A rare 600-year-old fresco by the Renaissance master Fra Angelico, considered to be one of the painter’s earliest works, has been painstakingly restored after centuries of neglect.
The painting, called Crucifixion, depicts Jesus on the cross against a navy blue background. It’s located in the chapter house of the cloistered Convent of San Domenico, in the quiet hilltop town of Fiesole, some four miles northeast of Florence.
The piece was painted around 1420, when Fra Angelico was in his 20s, and it may be one of the artist’s first works. Hidden behind layers of paint for centuries, it’s now been returned to its original splendor thanks to the efforts of Friends of Florence, an American nonprofit, and Bottega Belacqua, a trio of American and Italian doctors with a passion for Renaissance art.
“I didn’t know about this particular fresco,” Cristiana Conti, one of the restorers, tells the National Catholic Register’s Solène Tadié. “It is hidden inside the convent, making it relatively unknown to the public. Art historians have certainly studied it, but for me, it was a discovery—and a pleasant surprise.”
Born Guido di Pietro in the Tuscan hamlet of Rupecanina, Fra Angelico was a Dominican friar and one of the most celebrated painters of the 15th century. Also known as the “Angelic Painter,” he helped transform Italian art, bridging the medieval Gothic style with the emerging Renaissance one. His work is renowned for its use of linear perspective alongside rich colors and a strong spiritual message.
He entered the Convent of San Domenico in roughly 1420, around the same time he painted the Crucifixion, before transferring to the Convent of San Marco in Florence in 1436. Around 1446, he left for Rome at the behest of Pope Eugene IV before eventually returning to Fiesole in 1450 to become the convent’s prior.
