Located in the Chapter Room of the Dominican convent, the fresco depicts Christ crucified on a stark, dark background, framed by vegetal motifs and inscriptions in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Though once hidden behind a layer of whitewash, the work has drawn increasing attention in recent years as an early and spiritually resonant piece by Beato Angelico.
The restoration revealed several remarkable details about the fresco’s original technique. Analysis showed that the painting was completed over nine daily sessions, and that gilding was applied to features such as the halo using a shell gold method. While the deep blue background might suggest the use of azurite, investigators found no trace of it—indicating that the artist likely intended a simpler palette. Evidence of red chalk and spolvero (a transfer technique using perforated drawings) further confirmed the artist’s planning process.
The fresco’s condition had severely worsened over time. Christ’s face in particular had lost much of its painted surface due to a rough descialbo (the removal of whitewash) conducted in an earlier century. The entire work bore the marks of this process, with visible hammering used to strip the lime coating. Dust, soot, moisture stains, cracks, and missing sections of plaster also contributed to the fresco’s compromised state.
Conservators focused on stabilising the plaster, cleaning the surface, recovering lost colour where appropriate, and filling in lacunae. Retouching work was done with restraint to maintain the integrity of the original composition while restoring its legibility.
