Panel paintings and frescoes in a art Saturday

diptych attributed to the painter from Lucca Bonaventura
Berlinghieri, half of the thirteenth century
Photo Wikimedia Commons

Croce 432 anonymous painter of Pisa,
last quarter of the twelfth centuryPhoto Wikimedia Commons

Croce 434 anonymous Florentine painter,
middle of the thirteenth centuryPhoto Wikimedia Commons

Having finally free time after weeks of intense work, I took a walk in the historic center. At the end of the morning I visited the exhibition of the three oldest paintings in the Uffizi just restored and on display in the church of San Pier Scheraggio until March 29 (the entrance is free and in the first portal to the left in the loggia of the Uffizi). I share photos of the paintings before restoration but here you can see a gallery of photos after the restoration.

In the afternoon, passing through the narrow streets of the city near the Casa di Dante I visited the Oratory of San Martino seat of the Company of Buonomini, a benefit company founded in 1441. The interior is richly decorated with frescoes in the lunettes, attributed by some to the workshop of Ghirlandaio but for others to Francesco d'Antonio del Chierico. On the altar a wooden sculpture painted of St. Anthony attributed to Verrocchio. To the right of the door the hole for alms unfortunately with a "graffito".

Photo Wikimedia Commons

Illumination from Piccolomini Library

Illumination on parchment, egg tempera with pure pigments, genuine lapislazzuli and gold leaf 23 3/4 on pastiglia cm.6,5x4

This is the first of a new series of illuminations copied from the manuscripts conserved in the Piccolomini Library in the Duomo di Siena. 

At end of August I visited the Duomo of Siena for the annual exposition of the marble decorated floor (see my post with images and videos) and I took this pictures of illuminations exposed, illuminated by Liberale da Verona and Girolamo da Cremona. 

During the visit I tried to fix in my mind the colors of the original illuminations.

I share other photos of the frescoes by Pinturicchio that cover all the surface of the ceiling and the walls in the Library.

 The last photo is a detail of the floor with decorated tiles.

Ancient tecjniques

Last Saturday, thanks to Alessia of guidedtoursofflorence was organized a lecture on ancient techniques in my studio; fresco, egg tempera, oil, gilding and a few basic notions on the restoration of works of art for eleven licensed tourist guides of Florence.

Here's the post that Francesca of Fantastic Florence wrote and some pictures of this afternoon we spent together.

Sgraffito in Siena

Is the interior of a palace in the historic center of Siena.

All the facades are in fresco sgraffito, also the false windows!

Artemisia a Carcassonne

The first images of the medieval festival we participated the August 4 and 5 in the castle of Carcassonne. The location was absolutely amazing and the night of Friday when we mounted our tent seemed to be really in a medieval encampment. You can see that despite the heat the knights go around all dressed up ready for the fight of the afternoon. In the last photo Checco and Tetsuo with the arms of Sardinia.

Le prime immagini del festival medievale a cui abbiamo partecipato il 4 e 5 agosto nel castello di Carcassonne. La location era assolutamente incredibile e la notte di venerdi mentre montavamo la nostra tenda sembrava di essere veramente in un accampamento medievale. Potete vedere che nonostante il caldo i cavalieri andavano in giro vestiti di tutto punto pronti per i combattimenti del pomeriggio. Nell' ultima foto Checco e Tetsuo con lo stemma della Sardegna.

Sgraffito in Fiesole

Sgraffito decoration by Ludivico Buti (c.1560-after 1611) on the facade of the church  of Santa Maria Primerana in Fiesole.

Hexagonal frescoes

new frescoes on hexagonal hand made terracotta tiles, ready for the Carcassonne Medieval Festival!

New sgraffito

Restoring fresco

Images of fresco which I worked these days.

On the road I took this pictures of village of Loro Ciuffenna.