Castiglion Fiorentino hosts fifth Uffizi Diffusi exhibition: art exchange in the sign of St. Francis

On the occasion of the Feast Day dedicated to St. Francis, which falls on Oct. 4, the Uffizi Galleries and Castiglion Fiorentino are organizing across-exhibition, The Last Seal of St. Francis at La Verna. This is part of the Terre degli Uffizi project, conceived and implemented by Le Gallerie degli Uffizi and Fondazione CR Firenze as part of their respective Uffizi Diffusi and Piccoli Grandi Musei projects, and includes from Oct. 2, 2021 to Jan. 6, 2022 the loan by Palazzo Pitti of the famous painting by Cigoli (Cigoli di San Miniato, 1559 - Rome, 1613) St. Francis Receives the Stigmata from the late 16th century to the Pinacoteca Comunale of Castiglion Fiorentino, and from the city of Arezzo the loan of Bartolomeo della Gatta ’s (Florence, 1448 - Arezzo, 1502) famous panel painting depicting the same subject to the Uffizi.

A Florentine and a pupil of Verrocchio’s workshop, Bartolomeo della Gatta got to know the great artists of the time, such as Botticelli, Leonardo, and Ghirlandaio. At the end of the nineteenth century, a document from the Castiglion Fiorentino hospital archives revealed the biographical identity of the painter, whose real name was Pietro di Antonio Dei: it was he who on October 2, 1486 was entrusted with the execution of the panel with the Stigmata of St. Francis for the local church of San Francesco, now in the Civic Art Gallery. The document also reveals that the painter was a religious of the Camaldolese order, at that time prior of San Clemente in Arezzo and earlier a monk in the convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. Belonging to a family of goldsmiths, he was an artist of extraordinary versatility, frequenting the most excellent masters of the Tuscan capital and acquainted with the painting of Piero della Francesca in Arezzo and Urbino. No work by Bartolomeo della Gatta is included in the Uffizi’s collections: this exhibition is therefore a debut for the painter in the 15th-century rooms of the Florentine museum. In turn, the Uffizi has sent to Castiglion Fiorentino a canvas of identical subject matter, by Ludovico Cardi known as Cigoli, dating from 1596: it is a depiction of the saint influenced by the dictates of the Counter-Reformation and characterized by an intense patheticism, a prelude to Baroque theatricality, and a strong focus on natural truth. Cigoli’s painting, which immediately became so famous that it constituted a model that was copied several times, is one of the most remarkable works by the artist, a leader of Florentine painting between the 16th and 17th centuries and active for the Medici and the papacy.

“The Uffizi in Florence gives space to Castiglion Fiorentino and Castiglion Fiorentino hosts the masterpieces of the Uffizi,” says Castiglion Fiorentino Mayor Mario Agnelli. "My personal thanks to director Eike Schmidt for granting us this double and important opportunity for the cultural and tourist promotion of the City of Castiglion Fiorentino. From tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 2, and until Jan. 6, in fact, in place of Bartolomeo della Gatta’s painting St. Francis Receives the Stigmata, lent to the Florentine museum, it will be possible to admire, at the Sistema Museale Castiglionese, the work of Ludovico Cardi known as Cigoli. The collaboration with the Uffizi Galleries in Florence and its director Eike Schmidt has given us this interesting initiative that sees Bartolomeo della Gatta’s painting, which has been observed, valued and promoted nationally for years, both by the Honorable Vittorio Sgarbi, who chose it for the Italy pavilion at Expo 2015, and by director Angelo Tartuferi for an exhibition at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, now finds itself at the center of the Terre degli Uffizi project thanks to the exchange of the two works on the occasion of the celebrations of Italy’s patron saint, St. Francis."

“The miraculous episode of the Stigmata of St. Francis took place in La Verna, in Tuscan territory,” added Uffizi Galleries director Eike Schmidt. “The Uffizi is celebrating that event this year, starting from the saint’s hometown of Assisi, where a precious panel painting from the first half of the 13th century by the Uffizi’s so-called Master of the Cross 434, depicting precisely the Stigmata of St. Francis, has been loaned, and continues with an ’exchange’ of works from the same subject with Castiglion Fiorentino. The circulation of these paintings enhances their importance, recalling Francis, patron saint of Italy, through sublime examples of art. At the same time, this operation invites a focus on individual works, which are highlighted for their significance and quality. Cigoli, a celebrated painter even in his lifetime, beloved by the Medici and the popes, did not disdain to paint altarpieces throughout the Tuscan countryside and is a shining example of the spread of great art throughout the territory.”

“We are very satisfied with the outcome of this first experience of Terre degli Uffizi,” concludes CR Florence Foundation President Luigi Salvadori. "The response of the public has confirmed the goodness of the project and the places where we have promoted our exhibitions have strongly increased visitors. The ’diffuse museum’ in our region really has great appeal and we were right in identifying, together with the Uffizi Galleries, this form of knowledge and promotion of art in places that are less known but, not for this reason, less fascinating from an artistic and cultural point of view. For this reason, too, a section expressly dedicated to Terre degli Uffizi has been created and is now online on the museum’s website. A mine of information and curiosities that is continuously updated and that, we are sure, will encourage the flow of visitors even after the exhibitions."

The Uffizi Lands project is online at the Galleries’ website www.uffizi.it/terre-degli-uffizi, where you can find a special section with all its locations, exhibitions and content.

Castiglion Fiorentino Municipal Art Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Pictured, St. Francis Receives the Stigmata by Bartolomeo della Gatta on loan to the Uffizi. Ph.Credit Stefano Casati

Castiglion Fiorentino hosts fifth Uffizi Diffusi exhibition: art exchange in the sign of St. Francis

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