Art

by Sandro Pintus

The Madonna by Giotto
restored after the explosion of the bomb at the Uffizi

A priceless work of art, the "Madonna of San Giorgio alla Costa" by Giotto, has at last been restored to the world. This masterpiece of the Duecento is now exhibited again after the terrible damage inflicted by the bomb explosion at the Uffizi in May 1992. This painting of the Madonna enthroned with the Child and two angels by Giotto da Bondone was the "most illustrious" among the works of art and history that were damaged and its restoration, which was carried out by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, took over a year.
There were about twenty areas of damage caused by slithers of glass from a window; some of the splinters had penetrated so deeply that the restorers had to use tweezers to remove them.

The Madonna of San Giorgio alla Costa by Giotto da Bondone

The panel was attributed to the Maestro della Santa Cecilia (who was of the school of Giotto and had also been his assistant at Assisi), until 1937, when it was cleaned and restored. The panel was not definitely attributed to Giotto until it had undergone careful examination by experts. Art critics and experts dated it as having been carried out sometime during the last decade of the Duecento, between "The Painted Cross" in Santa Maria Novella, the frescoes of the "Stories of St. Francis" at Assisi and the "Madonna" at Borgo San Lorenzo. See also: The Madonna by Giotto-Restoration techniques The proof that this painting is by Giotto was found during its restoration

FAN

FAN-Florence ART News
a cura di
Silvia Messeri & Sandro Pintus