Florence, a major restoration for Giovanni Francesco da Rimini's St. Vincent

In Florence, the Galleria dell’Accademia is starting the restoration of an important panel by Giovanni Francesco da Rimini, a painter documented in the mid-15th century but about whom we know very little, depicting Saint Vincent Ferrer. The work, usually kept in the Hall of Colossus, will then be on view in the temporary exhibition rooms until the completion of work involving the great Hall that welcomes visitors to the museum.

It is a tempera on panel from the Florentine convent of San Domenico nel Maglio, of the female branch of the Dominican Order; according to studies, it is interpreted as further evidence of a stopover by the painter, Giovanni Francesco da Rimini, in Tuscan soil. It should refer to a time not much later than 1455, the date of the saint’s canonization. Giovanni Francesco da Rimini, trained in Padua in the mid-15th century, was influenced by the late Gothic painting of the Florentine school, as well as the Paduan school, with some hints of the Umbrian school. The attribution of the St. Vincent Ferrer to Giovanni Francesco da Rimini has been expressed by noting some elements of contact with the Florentine milieu of the 1950s and 1960s. Based on the studies made, its execution is placed around 1455, thus assuming a stay of the artist in Florence. Two works signed and dated by him are known: the Madonna Enthroned with Child (1459), preserved in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, and the Madonna with Two Saints and Child (1461), now in the National Gallery in London.

The intervention, entrusted to a specialized external restorer, will focus on a calibrated cleaning of the painted surface now obscured by a surface layer of deposits and old pictorial retouches, especially in the predella, where scenes from the life of the saint are depicted. The perimeter frame, especially in the lower part, is also characterized by a compact and evident deposit. In the course of the work, it will also be evaluated whether or not it is necessary to intervene on the wooden support, for which an expert in the field has been consulted.

“These are very hectic weeks for the Academy Gallery,” says director Cecilie Hollberg. “In this period, with the museum staff we have had the opportunity to examine these very delicate works, subject them to careful study, identify the necessary interventions to restore them to their full original preciousness. After the large altarpiece with the Resurrection by Raphael Del Garbo, it is the turn of a very special panel with the Dominican saint St. Vincent Ferrer for which a very light restoration, in full respect of the ancient patina that characterizes it, was planned some time ago.”

Giovanni Francesco da Rimini, Saint Vincent Ferrer

Florence, a major restoration for Giovanni Francesco da Rimini's St. Vincent

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