Florence, after 58 years Jacopo di Cione's masterpiece returns to its church

After a meticulous four-year restoration, the altarpiece depicting the Madonna of the Snow, painted by Jacopo di Cione (Florence, 1325 - 1399), has been relocated to the Church of Saints Apostles and Blaise in Florence. This restoration was made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of Florence foundation.

The work was commissioned by Stoldo Altoviti in the last quarter of the 14th century, in honor of the wishes of his father Bindo, who had a chapel built in the church. The altarpiece, created by Jacopo di Cione, an important Florentine painter of the second half of the 14th century, has undergone several restorations over the centuries. One of the major damages was caused by a massive attack by wood insects, which severely compromised the frames and predella, leading to the separation of the altarpiece into three compartments.

In the 18th century, the three panels were further damaged by an outrageous resecuring of the top of the three panels and the redecoration of the bottom of the central panel, hiding the original traces of painting. During the 1966 flood, the work appeared improperly assembled, with the Madonna and Child in the center and two saints, St. Theresa and St. Mary Magdalene dei Pazzi (as they were identified by Guido Carocci) at the sides, individually framed. A restoration at the laboratories of the Fortezza da Basso, completed in 1968, removed the after-painting, recovering much of the original painting, though much of it was very flawed. Then, in 2008, a study assessed the painting’s original dimensions and proposed a reconstruction of the whole to operate a recomposition of the altarpiece according to the correct proportions, deduced from the study of the elements.

The restoration project, which began in 2020, involved the collaboration of Jennifer Celani and Daniela Parenti, officials of the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan City of Florence, and execution by restorer Lisa Venerosi Pesciolini. The intervention required a thorough cleaning and stain removal of the painting, revealing important fragments of the original color. The restoration also made it possible to pictorially rejoin the fields interrupted by the gaps, restoring legibility to the narrative scenes.

Particular attention was devoted to the Madonna and Child, with the extraordinary recovery of the gilded ribbon bulined according to the original engraving and the rearrangement of the centina, which, through the recovery of the bulining and the size of the gilded ribbon articulated in a polylobate pattern originally on the gold background, allowed the restoration of the figure’s original majesty. The unrecoverable pictorial areas were treated with a unified background of the dominant color tone, enhancing the islands of original painting still preserved.

The analysis and creation of charts and wooden models allowed the evaluation of solutions for the recomposition of the altarpiece. The project included the reconstruction of the lower portion of the center panel and the supporting predella, allowing the realignment of the three original panels. This intervention respected the conservation history of the work and the interpretive limits imposed by the damage suffered over time.

Thus, after 58 years of absence, La Madonna della Neve finally returns to the Church of Saints Apostles and Blaise, for which it was originally conceived. This restoration not only returns a precious masterpiece of 14th-century Florentine painting to the community, but also underscores the importance of conservation and enhancement of artistic heritage, made possible thanks to the dedication and collaboration of experts and supporters.

“At last we can return to admire the altarpiece depicting the Madonna of the Snow by Jacopo di Cione in the Church of Saints Apostles and Blaise: we are happy to have supported this important intervention that has made it possible, not only to preserve the work, but to re-assemble it with the scientific rigor necessary for its overall legibility,” says Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence. “I would like to thank on behalf of Friends of Florence Father Nicola Tovagliari parish priest of the Church of SS. Apostles and Blaise who gave us the opportunity to carry out the work, Jennifer Celani and Daniela Parenti officials of the ABAP Superintendency who directed and followed the work with great attention and Lisa Venerosi Pesciolini the restorer who carried out the intervention together with Roberto Buda and the work team. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Angela Lo Re, Francis O’Neill, Denise Monteleone, Jim Martin, the Fullerton family, David Swensen, our donors who made the entire project possible.”

Florence, after 58 years Jacopo di Cione's masterpiece returns to its church

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