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A Renaissance fresco reborn in Urbania. A restoration that could shed light on its author
A Renaissance fresco in Urbania is coming back to life thanks to Art Bonus. Recent restoration has unearthed precious details and confirmed the work's artistic value. And it may help discover who its author is.
By Noemi Capoccia | 27/03/2025 16:18
A fresco tarnished by time, a fresco important to its city and its inhabitants, a fresco that has been revived thanks to careful restoration. We are talking about the restoration of the fresco of the Madonna and Child with Saints, a Renaissance work located in the Church of Santa Chiara in Urbania, owned by the Ministry of the Interior-FEC, which was the subject of an intervention promoted by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Provinces of Ancona and Pesaro and Urbino and made possible thanks to a 9.000 euros through the Art Bonus decree. The project, which was completed on January 24, 2023, also won an important recognition, ranking fifth in the national final of the Art Bonus 2024 competition. The restoration work was designed and directed by the Superintendency itself. In addition to the preservation of the fresco, the restoration is part of a broad project to protect the heritage of the Church of St. Clare, financed by the Worship Buildings Fund starting in 2019.
We are located in one of the most beautiful areas of Montefeltro: Urbania, the ancient Casteldurante, stands on the bend of the Metauro River, is known for the art of ceramics, is the city of the Ubaldini family from the noble ducal milieau, elevated to the rank of diocese and city by Pope Urban VIII in whose honor it changed its name, it gathers around its Ducal Palace, seat of the Della Rovere court, is dotted with its elegant noble buildings and twenty-two places of worship including churches, oratories and convents: this is where the Renaissance fresco is located. "The restoration work on the Madonna and Child with Saints of Santa Chiara ranked fifth in Italy out of more than 200 projects submitted to the Art Bonus 2024 competition," recalls architect Cecilia Carlorosi, Soprintendente Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro and Urbino. "The commitment of the patron, the clearance of the property, the support of the Clarisse community, and the professionalism of the Soprintendenza officials and restorers led to this result. Once again, the Art Bonus has proven to be an effective tool for the protection and enhancement of our country's heritage, also fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors and promoting strategic partnerships with which restoration work can be financed."
A fresco resurfaced after centuries
The fresco occupies the left wall of the church hall and was discovered in 1977 by Monsignor Corrado Leonardi, an Urbania priest and art historian, under a 1631 painting by Simone Cantarini depicting theImmaculate Conception. The concealment of the painting occurred in the first half of the 17th century during a renovation ordered by Duke Francesco Maria II Della Rovere. Although the fresco has always been recognized as a work of great artistic value, its attribution remains uncertain, although the restoration seems to confirm the historical tradition that has long attributed it to Timoteo Viti (Urbino, 1470 - 1523), an Urbino painter and friend of Raphael. It has recently been suggested that the hand was that of an artist of the first half of the 16th century with Mannerist influences traceable to Giustino Episcopi. Indeed, the style of the painting highlight a balance between architecture and landscape typical of the Urbino school, with similarities to other works by Viti and references to Renaissance painting.
With the restoration, the idea that it may be a work by Viti is back in vogue. "The fresco," explains art historian Francesca Farina, who supervised the work, "was found in 1977, by the then Rector of the church, on the left wall of the hall below a 17th-century altarpiece; it depicts a typical Renaissance Sacred Conversation, set among classical architecture, with Madonna and Child among saints and characters connected to the Clarian community. The restoration, and the resulting study, lead us to recognize in it the hand of Timoteo Viti, a painter from Urbino who was an associate of Raphael, and who may have worked on it around 1510."
The sacred conversation and its mysteries
The subject of the fresco is a classic Renaissance Sacred Conversation. In the center, the Madonna sits on a throne with the Child in her arms, surrounded by saints who reflect the link with the community of the Poor Clares, the historic owners of the church. On the left appear St. Clare, St. Francis and, according to recent speculation, Cardinal Bessarion. On the right, on the other hand, St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgin Martyrs are depicted.
The identification of the figure in cardinal's robes has also been the subject of debate. In fact, in the past, it was thought he might be St. Ambrose or St. Bonaventure, but currently the most accepted theory points to him as Cardinal Bessarion, theologian and cardinal protector of the Franciscan Order. His iconography, characterized by a long white mustache and a full beard, finds parallels in other portraits of him.
The damage suffered by the work and the restoration intervention
"The work," clarifies architect Biagio De Martinis, single project manager, "led to the complete functional recovery for worship activities and the restoration of the roofing, the conservative restoration, and the arrangement of the church façade."
Time and moisture had compromised the stability of the fresco. Deterioration of the masonry had caused detachments, cracks and damage to the pictorial film, while color alterations and abrasions obscured its legibility. The restoration therefore began with a meticulous analysis of the state of conservation, followed by photographic and graphic documentation. Next, surface consolidation, removal of deposits, extraction of soluble salts, and filling of gaps were carried out. Pictorial retouching was carried out with watercolor glazes, and in this way the chromatic unity was restored without altering the originality of the work.
One of the most interesting aspects of the restoration was the discovery of traces of the original coloring of the Virgin's mantle. During the work, in fact, a portion of azurite emerged on the left shoulder of the Madonna, revealing that the mantle was originally an intense blue. Over time, in fact, the pigment had degraded and had left clearly visible the underlying morellone, a brown base to which the blue was dry-applied.
The painstaking work of restoring the Madonna and Child with Saints in the Church of Santa Chiara in Urbania has thus made it possible to rediscover rather unprecedented specifics and to renew the link between the painting and the community that guards it. The fresco restoration project thus aims to demonstrate that the artistic heritage of the past remains a living reality in the present, made so by the joint efforts of institutions, scholars and patrons.
