Bolsena, lower half of a Benedetto Buglioni statue discovered: will be reassembled

Important discovery in Bolsena where, in recent weeks, an unpublished portion of a precious glazed terracotta statue depicting St. Lucy, the patron saint of sight, by Benedetto Buglioni (Florence, 1461 - 1521) was officially identified . The work comes from the Basilica of Santa Cristina in Bolsena and is distinguished by a posture reminiscent of Verrocchio models, suggesting a link with the Florentine sculptural tradition of the late 15th century. The discovery, thanks to the work of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the province of Viterbo and southern Etruria, is of particular importance for studies on Benedetto Buglioni.

It is, in particular, the lower part of a statue of the saint of which only the upper portion, the one with the bust and face of St. Lucy, was known until now. Already at the end of the 19th century, however, scholar Paolo Zampi had reported the work as a “half-statue,” suggesting that it was incomplete: the discovery thus allowed the recomposition of the whole statue. The identification of the lower portion came as a result of a restoration of the statue of St. Lucy, sponsored by the Diocese of Orvieto-Todi and the parish of Saints George and Christina of Bolsena, on the instructions of the Superintendency. The lower portion of the statue was found in fragments, walled inside a wall of another chapel for conservation purposes. For a long time, these pieces remained an enigma, until the recent identification that made it possible to understand their real belonging and finally reassemble the work. The investigation of the statue revealed that the bust of St. Lucy, currently kept in the Chapel of the Crucifix, dates from between 1493 and 1497.

Currently, the lower torso of the statue is kept at the studio of restorer Marziali in Acquapendente, who oversaw the first phase of the intervention. The restoration process now involves two key steps: restoring the statue’s integrity and relocating it to a spot in the basilica where its three-dimensionality can be fully appreciated.

Buglioni, a Florentine sculptor and ceramist, was a direct competitor of the Della Robbia family in the production of Renaissance majolica. The artist, known for his talent in glazed terracotta, was among the leading figures in the decoration of the Bolsena Basilica, where he created several works, including the lunettes of the portals, an altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion and the Eucharistic Miracle, and the monumental tabernacle of the Chapel of the Sacrament. The restoration of his Santa Lucia is part of a broader plan to enhance the local artistic heritage, which has been overseen in recent years by Luisa Caporossi, who directed the restoration of another significant work by Buglioni: the simulacrum of the lying Santa Cristina, kept in the Basilica Ipogea above the sarcophagus of the Bolsenese martyr.

According to Xavier Ricci, the area’s new official art historian, the restoration of the statue of St. Lucy could be just the first step in a larger project to upgrade Buglioni’s works in the basilica. “The interventions to be planned for the Jubilee year,” the official hopes, “in addition to the recomposition of the fragmentary sculpture of St. Lucy, should also include the consolidation and cleaning of a baptismal font, also a ’forgotten’ work by Buglioni, which now lies unused in the Church of the Most Holy Savior and would deserve to be placed in the basilica, as well as well as a general rearrangement of the movable works located within the naves; starting with the valuable wooden Crucifix, which should find its privileged position again in the chapel to the right of the high altar, called not by chance in ancient documents ’Chapel of the Crucifix.’”

At the same time, the authorization process for returning the sculpture to the parish has been initiated, pending final approval of the restoration project. The goal is to return a work of great artistic and historical value to the community, making it visible again, in its entirety, to the faithful and scholars.

Bolsena, lower half of a Benedetto Buglioni statue discovered: will be reassembled

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