Important purchase for Arezzo National Museum: masterpiece by Poppi arrives

An important piece of Tuscan Mannerist painting returns to the heart of its homeland. As of today, the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art in Arezzo can boast in its collections a valuable work by Francesco Morandini known as Poppi (Poppi, 1544 - 1597), a favorite pupil of Giorgio Vasari and among the most brilliant exponents of Florentine Mannerism. It is the large altarpiece depicting the Baptism of Christ, made in the 1580s for Braccio Ricasoli, a refined intellectual and member of the Florentine Academy, recently purchased by the Ministry of Culture. The work went to auction at Pandolfini’s in November 2022, and the adjudication was possible for the sum of 57,960 euros (56,000 plus commission, against an estimate of 50-80,000 euros).

The work, already known to scholars (Paola Barocchi, in the 1960s, believed it to be lost, after which it was identified by Alessandra Giovannetti in her 1995 monograph on Poppi), and of which some preparatory sheets had also been identified, preserved in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe degli Uffizi and relating to the rabbit and the dove, was was officially unveiled to the public on Friday, April 4, in the Sala delle Muse of the Arezzo museum, in the presence of Stefano Casciu, regional director of the National Museums of Tuscany, and Luisa Berretti, director of the museum, who spoke to talk about the art-historical value of the altarpiece and its significance in the broader framework of the Tuscan second half of the 16th century.

The imposing and refined panel was commissioned by Ricasoli for his Bracciano villa in Panzano in Chianti. The identification of the commissioner is made possible by a comment by Raffaello Borghini, who in Il Riposo, still the main source of information on Poppi’s activity before 1584, made mention of a Baptism of Christ being executed precisely for Braccio Ricasoli. Painted in oil, the work admirably blends the didactic intent proper to post-conciliar art with the formal elegance, compositional refinement and naturalism of the best Florentine painting tradition. In this sense, the altarpiece is not only evidence of a cultured and spiritually oriented patronage, but also an expression of a visual language capable of conveying the religious message through beauty.

The Baptism of Christ is now placed in the first of the two rooms dedicated to the 16th century and Mannerism, on the second floor of the museum, in direct dialogue with Giorgio Vasari’s works on sacred subjects. This positioning was imagined to allow the public to fully grasp the master-pupil bond between Vasari and Morandini, but also the artist’s rootedness in the Casentino territory from which he came. This is a significant restitution, reknitting historical, artistic and geographical threads. The acquisition of the work is then accompanied by an important intervention of scientific analysis, carried out through advanced multispectral scans performed by the National Institute of Optics of the CNR. These investigations made it possible to bring to light the preparatory drawing underlying the painting, revealing details about the creative genesis of the work and further enriching the understanding of its execution technique.

The figure of Poppi, moreover, deserves full attention. Born in Poppi in 1544, Francesco Morandini was one of Vasari’s most promising pupils. Through the Arezzo master he came to know the scholar Vincenzo Borghini, a patron with whom he maintained a lasting relationship. Morandini was one of the artists involved in the grandiose decoration of Francesco I de’ Medici’s Studiolo in Palazzo Vecchio, an experience that consolidated his fame and style. He later became a member of the Accademia del Disegno, establishing himself as one of the most original interpreters of Vasari’s language, but also open to the influences of his contemporaries Alessandro Allori and Federico Barocci. His painting stands out for its balance, chromatic sensitivity and refinement, qualities that emerge strongly precisely in the altarpiece now on display in Arezzo.

What made possible the new display of the work at the museum, as well as the accompanying scholarly publication, was the collaboration between the MiC’s National Museums Tuscany Regional Directorate and the Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì. The funding, realized through the company Civitas srl, enabled the printing of the volume published by Edifir, with contributions by Luisa Berretti, Anna Bisceglia, Veronica Vestri, Eliana Carrara and Rossella Cavigli: a choral work that restores to the public and scholars a broad and in-depth overview of the work, its context and the artist.

To celebrate the arrival of the altarpiece and offer the public a special opportunity to visit, the museum has also organized the “Breakfast at the Museum” initiative for Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. At 11 a.m., visitors will be welcomed by a cultural and sensory experience that combines art and local flavors: typical products from Arezzo, offered in collaboration with local operators, will accompany the visit, in a journey that involves sight, taste and spirit. The initiative, promoted by the Arezzo Intour Foundation, is included in the entrance ticket.

The Baptism of Christ by Poppi thus represents not only a major museum acquisition, but also an opportunity to reflect on the value of Tuscany’s artistic heritage and the importance of returning to the public works that tell stories, commissions, and territories. A homecoming in the sign of art, memory and beauty.

Important purchase for Arezzo National Museum: masterpiece by Poppi arrives

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