Fra Angelico’s Deposizione di Santa Trinita (Deposition from the Cross) has been restored following a two-year effort and is once again on display in the artist’s room in the San Marco Museum. The monumental task was made possible thanks to a generous contribution from Friends of Florence, a US non-profit organization, and was carried out by restorer Lucia Biondi.
Prior to 1425, the Strozzi family initially commissioned Lorenzo Monaco, a friar at Camaldoli Monastery, to create what is effectively an altarpiece for their chapel in Santa Trinita Church. Monaco is allegedly responsible for the three cusps and the predella, but died before completing the work, which was passed to his pupil Fra Angelico, still in the early stages of his career. Altarpieces at the time tended to be split by columns into various scenes, but the painter from Vicchio implemented a new vision of a unitary piece in order to bring to life a dazzlingly theatrical scene. In so doing, he was able to foster a dialogue between his own contemporary style and the still gothic approach of his predecessor.
The scene is centred around the body of Christ as he is lowered from the cross, held up by five figures, while Mary Magdalene kisses his feet and the Madonna solemnly prays at the side. In the foreground, a youth in anachronistic clothing, thought to be an insert of Beato Alessio Strozzi, acts as an in-between for the observer and the scene, while the backdrop is a stunning amalgamation of the Tuscan countryside with a many-towered city, supposedly Jerusalem but with a suspicious similarity to Florence. A soft light coats the scene, adding perspective and highlighting the various golden details.
The restoration effort was finished just in time for the upcoming Angelico exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi, due to open in September, where it will be displayed. “The Deposition from the Cross is one of the cornerstones of western art, particularly of the Florentine Renaissance, featured in every art history textbook,” says Stefano Casciu, regional director of National Museums of Tuscany, “This restoration is a major event, especially considering the magnificent results, which make the colours, light, volumes, perspective, landscape and refined figures of this absolute masterpiece shine even more.”
Judging from the materials used, the two-year restoration effort was the first to be carried out since the late 1800s. The aim was to draw out the transparency and luminosity of the painting, which had become dull and flat, diminishing the depth, especially in the evocative landscape behind the main scene. Diagnostic studies were also conducted to better understand the relationship between Lorenzo Monaco’s contributions and Angelico’s later completion of the main scene and side pilasters, though much remains to be discovered.
“Restoring the works of great artists is always a challenging task due to the immense responsibility it entails. However, in the case of Angelico’s Deposition of Santa Trinita, the stakes were particularly high and the project was very ambitious,” remarks restorer Lucia Biondi, who kept the altarpiece in her house for the last two years. “Fortunately, I was able to draw on my deep connection with Angelico, whose Last Judgement and Pala di Bosco ai Frati I have also restored at the San Marco Museum.”
