The colours, light and intricate details of Neri di Bicci’s Annunciation, housed in Florence’s Church of Sant’Agata, can once again be appreciated following a major conservation treatment supported by Friends of Florence.
The restored painting was presented today at the church in via San Gallo. The presentation was attended by Father Dani Kamal, parish priest of San Charbel; Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence; Silvia Benassai of the Superintendency for Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Florence and the Province of Prato; and conservator Muriel Vervat.
Dated 1444, the panel was attributed to Neri di Bicci by art historian Matteo Marangoni in 1915. An inscription along the lower section of the painting records its commission: the work was made at the request of Sister Sandra di Francesco di Niccolò Riccialbani as a votive offering for herself and her mother. The composition follows the model of the celebrated Florentine Annunciation associated with the Sanctuary of the Santissima Annunziata, one of the city’s most important Marian sites. The painting belongs to an early phase of Neri di Bicci’s career, when the artist was still closely connected to the workshop of his father, Bicci di Lorenzo. Its style retains strong links to the late Gothic tradition, coming at a moment just before the artistic developments that would shape Neri’s long career in 15th-century Florence.
Before restoration, the painted surface was obscured by a heavy accumulation of dirt, yellowed varnishes and old overpainting. The conservation treatment has dramatically improved the legibility of the scene, bringing back a palette and range of details that had been progressively muted. Among the elements that have re-emerged are the pale gray stone of the architectural setting, set against the dark foliage of the trees in the background, as well as the delicate pastel tones of the Virgin’s and angel’s flesh tones. The luminous rays surrounding the divine presence of God the Father have also regained their brightness. The restoration extended beyond the painted surface to the panel itself, which is made of four poplar boards. Two nailed crossbars that were compromising the conservation of the wood were replaced, while vertical splits in the panel were repaired. The wood was also treated to address an active infestation of wood-boring insects. Ultraviolet photography and infrared reflectography provided important documentation of the painting’s condition and helped guide the conservation process.
The restoration not only safeguards a significant work from Neri di Bicci’s early career, but also allows a 15th-century image of the Annunciation to be seen once again with a clarity much closer to its original appearance within the historic setting for which it has been preserved.
