The Church of San Gottardo in CorteVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
An extraordinary fresco of the Giottesque school is on display within the Church of San Gottardo, projected by Francesco pecorari at the behest of Azzone Visconti in 1336.
Church of San Gottardo in corteVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
In 2015, the restructuring of the Church was completed in record time by the Veneranda Fabbrica, and the restoration of the Crucifixion kept within it was completed at the same time.
Crucifixion (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The valuable Giottesque-school fresco is located at the end of the Church's nave.
Crucifixion (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The origin of the work has been greatly questioned and discussed over the centuries. It was rediscovered in 1926, outside, at the base of the church's bell tower.
The fresco was covered with white, "very hard, petrified" plaster—as Mauro Pelliccioli is quoted as saying—possibly applied during the course of works carried out by Giuseppe Piermarini on the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) in the mid-18th century.
Crucifixion, detail (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The work was removed from the external wall in 1953 and transferred inside for conservation reasons: atmospheric agents were the main cause of the work's severe deterioration.
The Crucifixion
The Crucifixion Soldiers and sorrowful figures populate the scene, of which only the lower part remains, with the upper part having been irretrievably lost. It is possible to make out, on the left, the Virgin supported by the two Marys, surrounded by figures of Saints, and on the right soldiers vying for the clothes of Christ. Saint Catherine may be recognizable among the figures on the right, next to whom the female figure with its face almost completely obscured might be identified as Catherine of Savoy-Vaud, Azzone's consort, whose portrait, if present, has been entirely lost.
Crucifixion (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
It is thought that the work must have originally adorned the walls of an enclosed environment, and the iconography may lead one to consider a Franciscan refectory or chapter house.
Crucifixion, detail (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
In fact, in the 14th century, there was supposed to have been a cenobium, a small monastery of the Order of Franciscan Friars, attached to the Visconti ducal chapel of San Gottardo in Corte.
Crucifixion, detail (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
In 1335, Giotto was sent to the court of Azzone Visconti, lord of Milan, by the Florentine Republic, as ambassador for new art.
Crucifixion, detail (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Giotto had created the Vainglory frescoes for Azzone Visconti—now lost—among the spaces of what was then the Visconti Palace (Palazzo Visconteo), specifically within the rooms that now house the Milan Cathedral Museum.
Crucifixion (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Milanese painting between circa 1335 and 1345 revolved around the activities of Giotto's followers: “from the ‘Crucifixion’, dense and moving at the base of the Saint Gotthard bell tower, to the other frescoes within the palace of Archbishop Giovanni Visconti.”
Crucifixion (1340 circa) by Giotto schoolVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Church of San Gottardo is part of the Duomo Museum exhibition itinerary, a location for art exhibitions and conferences, for virtuoso moments of cultural appreciation and exchange.
The Church of San Gottardo in CorteVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
Read more on Milan Cathedral Remixed.
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