Antiquarian Fabrizio Moretti donates Mannerist Niccolò Betti's Risen Christ to the Uffizi

Antiquarian, collector and secretary-general of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato Fabrizio Moretti has donated to the Uffizi Galleries a valuable panel by Tuscan Mannerist painter Niccolò Betti (Florence, c. 1550 - c. 1618), which thus enters the Florentine museum’s collection.

It is the Risen Christ, one of the few known paintings by Niccolò Betti, a pupil of Giorgio Vasari and Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. The work depicts the Resurrection of Christ. The divine figure almost seems to take up the Byzantine iconography of Christ in the mandorla, because the light behind it, bordered by some clouds, recalls this form. Christ holds a flag with a cross in his hand to emphasize his role as shepherd and bearer of the divine word. Common elements can be recognized in the work with Giorgio Vasari and Raffaellino del Colle ’s Resurrection at Capodimonte: the drapery is curled and adhered to the body, and the soldiers are leaning diagonally against the tomb to give the idea of depth.

Betti is inspired by the figurative and compositional schemes of his master Vasari, readapting them into a drier and less solemn solution: the cloud on which Christ rests disappears, the number of figures decreases. On the left, one of the soldiers appears frightened and tries to cover himself with his shield, while in his other hand he holds his sword tightly; his companion on the right, on the other hand, continues to sleep, not realizing the unfolding affair. The only character who appears happy, though surprised, is the man in the background on the right who is thought to represent one of the apostles.

The artist’s palette is clearer than in the past, with bright colors and with a sharper, less nuanced chiaroscuro.

“The activity of antiquarians is historically one of the pillars on which art historical research and in many cases also the preservation of our heritage, often brought back by them, is based,” said Uffizi Galleries Director Eike Schmidt. “This donation by Fabrizio Moretti in memory of his father, which is in addition to other generous gestures by the profession toward museums, is an important gesture for the Uffizi and adds a missing piece in our collections.”

"I think it is incumbent on us art dealers, who have had so much of Art, to give back to the community. To be able to place a work in the most important museum in the world, the Uffizi, is a great intellectual satisfaction. This donation will be in memory of my beloved father Alfredo, to whom I owe everything. Thanks to Director Eike Schmidt for making this possible, said donor and secretary general of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato Fabrizio Moretti.

Image: Niccolò Betti, Risen Christ (c. 1575; tempera on panel, 45 x 60 cm)

Antiquarian Fabrizio Moretti donates Mannerist Niccolò Betti's Risen Christ to the Uffizi

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