Florence, restored the Chapel of St. Nicholas in the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata


In Florence, the chapel of St. Nicholas, inside the basilica of Santissima Annunziata in the square of the same name, is once again shining. Indeed, restoration operations, carried out thanks to Friends of Florence through a gift from The Giorgi Family Foundation, have been completed.

Begun in October 2021, restoration work on the Chapel of St. Nicholas of the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence was completed last January. Owned since 1353 by the del Palagio family, the chapel, the first on the right as you enter the Basilica, is located a few meters from the Chapel of the Virgin, which preserves the miraculous fresco of the Annunciation; as a reminder of its initial 14th-century arrangement remains the tombstone monument in pietra serena with heraldic coats of arms interned in the left wall and, while retaining the 14th-century architectural layout, is completely renewed by the decoration of stucco, gold and precious polychrome marble.

According to tradition, the Chapel once housed a cycle of frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi, Giotto’s collaborator and one of his most faithful pupils. According to Giorgio Vasari’s account in the Life of Taddeo Gaddi, the artist painted there the rescue of sailors by St. Nicholas, a scene that was highly appreciated by his contemporaries, so much so that, thanks to this work, he was later commissioned to fresco the main chapel with stories dedicated to the Virgin and to create an altarpiece, all works that are now lost. On the lower right wall, during restoration, traces of red pigment were found, a probable fragment that survived the destruction, perhaps a reminder of the ancient fresco decoration by Taddeo Gaddi, deliberately left exposed by the management of the work.

The chapel was completely renovated and inaugurated in April 1628, and its precious decorative scheme consists of Matteo Rosselli’s frescoes by Domenico Pugliani, the altar table by Jacopo Chimenti, and important stone, sculptural and architectural furnishings made of fine materials. An inscription recalls the two founders Tommaso, Gonfaloniere di giustizia of the Florentine Republic, and the better known Guido del Palagio, also Gonfaloniere di giustizia of the republic twice. The family, originally from Fiesole, had settled in the city where they had several properties in the San Giovanni district, including a palazzo on Via de’ Servi at the corner of Via Bufalini.

The polychrome composition is skillfully played on the existing relationship between the narrative cycles of the wall paintings, the altarpiece and the elements of sculptural and architectural order. At the top of the front lunette, two putti made of white stucco in the round, with knotted drapery, hold the imposing marble coat of arms of the ancient household in the center of the composition. In the center of the broken pediment, above the main aedicule altar, appears a marble bust of Christ, which recent studies attribute to Giovan Battista Caccini, on the assumption that it was made before 1613, the year of the artist’s death, and only later placed in the chapel.

The state of conservation and restoration

The restoration work involved both the frescoes, the stucco work, and the stone component. Before beginning, the chapel’s wall paintings were obscured by a blanket of lampblack that made their identification difficult, to which was added an organic fixative, probably used in previous restorations, now completely darkened and altered. Effects of ancient moisture infiltration from the roofs were also detectable. The presence of at least one rather invasive previous restoration was noted, presumably dating from around the mid-19th century, which had led to repainting some portions. In general, the conservation situation was precarious, with cracks, detachments and the risk of parts of the frescoes falling off. In the first instance, the restorers secured the hold of the color, and then moved on to clean the surfaces of carbon black deposits, first with deionized water and then with a more thorough intervention with cellulose pulp compresses, sepiolite and ammonium carbonate regarding the paintings of the vault and back wall. The intervention then moved on to the lunettes and then to the two scenes in the lower register, the work of Rosselli in which a lighter solution, saturated with ammonium carbonate on Japanese paper sheet, was chosen. All the gilded areas were then repainted with a protective solution.

The cleaning of both the frescoes and the stuccoes led to outstanding results by restoring the room to its original color. After the cleaning was completed, the damaged surfaces detached from the supporting layers were consolidated. The pictorial integration operations were complex. The case history of intervention, related to the type of degradation and the painting technique, required different actions. The micro deficiencies in the film were treated with tone lowering, while in other areas, especially relative to the Pugliani paintings, light glazing was used. With regard to the stone furnishings, the preciousness and variety of the materials appeared heavily obscured by uneven surface blackening, mainly due to the relevant presence of carbon black and alteration due to oily and waxy treatments that had been applied in the past for maintenance purposes.

Various forms of deterioration were identified by the restorers: from wear and tear to degenerative effects of a more structural nature such as cracks and fractures, from the consequences of ancient rainwater infiltration from the roofs to surface erosion phenomena that affected the fourteenth-century tombstone slab in pietra serena. Before cleaning, a thorough static safety check and subsequent pre-consolidation actions were carried out. Careful analysis allowed the definition of the intervention methodology to be adopted depending on the type of material and degradation that had occurred. Finally, cleaning was conducted in a gradual manner, gradually eliminating harmful substances to regain color balance. Next, consolidation and repositioning or bonding of detached fragments was carried out. The cracks were grouted with natural lime-based mixtures. The marble surfaces were finally covered with a protective solution, following a centuries-old practice of sculpture maintenance.

Friends of Florence’s commitment to the Santissima Annunziata Complex.

The Chapel of St. Nicholas is not the only intervention supported by Friends of Florence within the Basilica Annunziata complex in Florence. From 2011 to the present, the Foundation has contributed to the conservation of several works, both in the convent and in the basilica. The first interventions supported by Friends of Florence between 2010 and 2012 were to the fresco known as La Madonna del Sacco by Andrea del Sarto in the Chiostro Grande, to the Christ Crucified, and to the six bronze reliefs with stories of the Passion executed by Giambologna for his funeral chapel. Just in Giambologna’s chapel, in 2016 Friends of Florence supported the work on the Madonna del Soccorso the panel attributed to the Master of Barberino. Also in 2016 through the Friends of Florence Art and Restoration Salon Prize, the Foundation supported the restoration of the wooden Christ by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder in the Chapel of San Luca. In contrast, the restoration of the entire Chiostrino dei Voti was in 2017, while the restoration of the Chapel of San Luca that took place in the midst of the pandemic between 2020 and 2021 is also due to Friends of Florence.

Statements

“Another beautiful intervention to give back to the city an important piece of its artistic heritage, which, we well know, is priceless,” highlights Deputy Mayor Alessia Bettini. “As the work done and the results achieved show again today, these interventions are very thorough and tell of a care and commitment that must never fail and to which as an administration we hold very dear. Once again we have to thank Friends of Florence, which is at our side to protect and enhance the artistic beauty of the city, showing love for art and great generosity.”

“Friends of Florence’s commitment continues for the Basilica of SS Annunziata with the restoration of the Chapel of St. Nicholas,” stresses Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, president of Friends of Florence. “After the excellent work performed by the excellent team of restorers, all the works are finally visible again. The figures with their details and the brilliance of the colors, which for centuries were obscured by smoke black and the passage of time, now emerge in an extraordinary way, giving us back the chapel in all its beauty. We thank the City of Florence, through the Fine Arts and Factory Office of Palazzo Vecchio, which directed the work, and the Superintendence, which supervised it with High Supervision. We are still grateful to the Servite Fathers of Mary who with their willingness welcomed the work right in front of the Tempietto della Madonna, the fulcrum of devotion in the Basilica, and to the restorers who conducted the intervention with tireless dedication. Our heartfelt gratitude also goes to The Giorgi Family Foundation for making possible the recovery of the chapel and for the support it constantly gives to our projects.”

Florence, restored the Chapel of St. Nicholas in the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata
Florence, restored the Chapel of St. Nicholas in the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata


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