After undergoing restoration for almost four years, Benedetto da Maiano’s 15th century wooden crucifix has returned to the Duomo’s main altar. The project was carried out by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore all’Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, who originally called for the restoration, will unveil the newly improved crucifix during the liturgy of Good Friday on April 18 at 5pm.
For over a century, the work’s striking humanity had been obscured by a thick layer of faux-bronze coating, thought to have been added by 19th century artist Giovanni Duprè. One of the objectives of the project was to determine whether or not the antique colors underneath the gaudy exterior could be recovered. Laura Speranza, who oversees the Opificio’s restorations of polychromic wooden sculptures, explained that ‘the task of removing the layer of faux bronze was long and difficult, but, over time, with the recovery of its natural colors, this magnificent sculpture returned [to its original glory]…its perfect anatomy and soft musculature fit well with [Dominican friar] Girolamo Savonarola’s description of Christ: ‘tender, delicate and very sensitive.’’
