Perugia, restoration of Perugino's Adoration of the Shepherds begins

A restoration project on Perugino ’s (Pietro Vannucci; Città della Pieve, c. 1450 - Fontignano, 1523)Adoration of the Shepherds, promoted by Fondaco Italia and supported by Banca Generali Private, is starting at the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia. The work, which will be restored in the Umbrian museum’s Clock Room, comes from one of the exterior chapels of the church of San Francesco al Monte in Perugia, which was part of the Franciscan observant convent of the same name. Perugino worked there around 1502, the date to which dates the commission contract the painter signed for an imposing opisthograph altarpiece (i.e., painted on both sides) intended for the high altar of the same church. Pietro Vannucci was at the height of his career at the time and had just finished the decoration of the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia, considered one of his greatest masterpieces.

In 1856 theAdoration of the Shepherds was subjected to the tearing operation, which had serious repercussions on its already compromised state of preservation. In 1863 it arrived at the Pinacoteca Civica di Perugia, later the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, where it is still preserved, along with two splendid preparatory drawings of the figures of the shepherds, which, in the new layout of the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria to be inaugurated in the spring of 2022, will be displayed alongside the finished work. The intervention is necessary because the last restoration the painting underwent, now 30 years ago, needed to be revised. In particular, the aesthetic choices, which led to a minimal reintegration of the many small gaps and abrasions on the pictorial surface, are to be reconsidered, in order to reweave the chromatic texture and thus ensure a better legibility of the work.

The restoration work, by CBC Conservazione Beni Culturali of Rome, will follow various phases, from the removal of inconsistent surface deposits on all surfaces, to the control of the adhesion of the pictorial film to the canvas and of this to the rigid support; from the inspection of the plasterwork and underpainting, to the review of the reintegration of the previous intervention, with watercolor glazing of the gaps treated with abraded plaster, some of which will be supplemented by hatching to allow better legibility of the image. Precisely in order to maintain the close relationship between the National Gallery of Umbria and the citizens, meetings will be organized in the coming months inside the Clock Room to show the public the status of the work and communicate any discoveries that have come to light during the restoration.

The statements

“It rarely happens that a sponsor spontaneously proposes to support the restoration of a work or an activity of the museum,” says Marco Pierini, Director of the National Gallery of Umbria, “and it is therefore also in consideration of this generous and far-sighted gesture that we have identified as the object of the intervention a work by Perugino, the master who more than any other identifies with the territory. In 2023, on the occasion of the five-hundredth anniversary of his death, we will in fact dedicate precisely to Vannucci an exhibition of international level, taking this opportunity to update the studies, make a punctual reconnaissance of the documents and, above all, highlight his works, primarily those preserved in the National Gallery of Umbria, including the lunette with the shepherds in adoration of the Child, which in recent years and for various reasons has been and is the subject of new and special attention.”

“After the positive experience in Fermo,” says Ermes Biagiotti, “Area Manager of Banca Generali Private in Marche, Abruzzo and Umbria, we are happy to continue this project that aims to recover and donate to the community an iconic work of art by Perugia’s most important and representative artist whose 500-year anniversary of his death will be celebrated in 2023. A tribute and an approach to this very important event for an artist that the whole World envies us. As a bank attentive to the protection and enhancement of family assets, we are well aware of the importance of artistic heritage not only for the Perugia area, but for the entire country. This is why we believe it is essential to support initiatives such as this one that can be a driving force in guiding the territory’s recovery from the harsh crisis we are going through.”

“It is obvious that linking the name of Banca Generali to an important restoration work of international resonance,” said Paolo Petralia, District Manager Umbria of Banca Generali Private, “makes us particularly proud: in fact, we are proud to belong to a solid banking reality in our territory with about 750ml of assets under management and 30 consultants to its credit, attentive and also capable of flanking, developing and strengthening cultural aspects of our beautiful country, thus linking its name to projects destined to remain over time as evidence of an interest in these specificities that can be enjoyed over time by different generations. Funding works that can stand at the base of a restart by giving an input to the tourism recovery towards our region coincides perfectly with the peculiarities and value intentions that Banca Generali post-pandemic has a desire to put into play.”

“We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Banca Generali Private,” stresses Enrico Bressan, president of Fondaco Italia, a communications company active in the enhancement of cultural heritage, as well as to have found a motivated and enthusiastic environment such as the National Gallery of Umbria. From a professional point of view, this restoration represents a feather in our cap: to think of enhancing a work created by Perugino, an artist who frequented Verrocchio’s workshop along with Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci is truly something magical. In this summer that we could call a base of rebirth, we have seen how art and beauty constitute one of the cornerstones of our society and, above all, are what people seek, as a source of well-being and happiness. Investing in the recovery of these masterpieces becomes, therefore, a way to contribute to the collective good and the restart of the country."

Perugia, restoration of Perugino's Adoration of the Shepherds begins

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