Ancient art

A "Amorino" by Perin del Vaga Resurfaces: It Is a Fragment of a Major Achievement for Andrea Doria

An extraordinary and rare drawing on paper by Perin del Vaga ( Piero di Giovanni Bonaccorsi; Florence, 1501 – Rome, 1547) has resurfaced on the market, brought to the Florence International Antiques Biennale by the Genoa-based gallery Goldfi...
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The Silver Cross of 1501 Is Restored: Gian Francesco dalle Croci’s Masterpiece Returns to Brescia After Restoration

After a year of restoration work in the workshops of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, the precious processional cross—created in 1501 by Gian Francesco dalle Croci for the Church of San Francesco—has returned to Brescia. The work, which ar...
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The scandal surrounding Prince Poniatowski’s “antique” gems resurfaces at the BIAF

When, in 1832, the Polish prince Stanisław Poniatowski, grandson of the last king of Poland, published the second volume of the catalog raisonné of his vast collection of engraved stones in Florence, he included in the introductory pages a sta...
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Pozzuoli: Bradyseismic activity threatens church structures; safety measures are underway

Since August, the churches in Pozzuoli that were declared uninhabitable followingthe bradyseismic emergency have been undergoing safety measures to protect the works of art housed within them. This was announced by the Superintendence of Archaeology,...
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Venice: The first three canvases by Bellini and Carpaccio from the "Miracles of the True Cross" cycle have been restored

After six years of restoration work, three masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance are once again on view to the public at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. The restoration of the first three paintings belonging to the monumental Cycle of...
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Florence: Two Extremely Rare Medici Porcelain Pieces Join the Collections of the San Marco Museum

Two vases made in Florence during the second half of the sixteenth century bring to the forefront one of the most remarkable undertakings of the court of Francesco I de’ Medici: the attempt to produce in Europe the porcelain that had been impor...
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A rare 13th-century painted cross from Corso di Buono at the BIAF: it’s worth 1.2 million

A Madonna covering her mouth with her hand, a Saint John bent over in grief, and three tiny angels collecting the blood flowing from Christ’s wounds in large cups. And, at the bottom, Saint Peter warming himself by a fire while a maidservant po...
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An unpublished early masterpiece by Luca Giordano will be on display at MarteS on Lake Garda

An unpublished early masterpiece by Luca Giordano ( Naples, 1634–1705), *TheCalling of Saints Peter and Andrew to the Apostolate*, a large canvas measuring 192 by 252 centimeters by the Neapolitan painter, will be on public view for the first ...
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Velázquez’s Rediscovered Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares Joins the Getty Museum’s Collection

The J. Paul Getty Museum has announced the acquisition of *Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares*, a 17th-century painting by Diego Velázquez that was recently identified as a work by the Spanish artist. The painting will be on public view at...
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The Mystery of “Tommaso,” the Painter Who Imitated Lorenzo di Credi: Brun Brings One of His Tondo Paintings to the BIAF

That there is still so much to discover about the Renaissance —and that what we know is only a tiny fraction of the story—is clearly evident in an enigmatic tondo that the Galleria Brun is presenting this year at the 34th edition of the Florence Inte...
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Palazzo Milzetti: The Art Bonus Program Kicks Off to Restore the Paintings in the Capanna Rustica

A fundraising campaign through the Art Bonus program has kicked off in Faenza to fund the restoration of the painted walls of the Capanna rustica at Palazzo Milzetti. The initiative is sponsored by the National Museums of Bologna and the Regional Dir...
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Bolton Adopts a Statue from Milan Cathedral: The Enigmatic Hercules, or “Warrior Saint,” Has Been Restored

Bolton, a historic Italian family-owned company and a leader in the production and distribution of consumer goods, supported the restoration of*Ercole o santo guerriero*(Herculesor theWarrior Saint), a sculpture that is part of the extraordinary heri...
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A rare fragment of an altarpiece by Gaudenzio Ferrari has resurfaced: Matteo Salamon is bringing it to the BIAF

For nearly two centuries, all trace of Gaudenzio Ferrari’s (Valduggia, 1475 – Milan, 1546) *Saint Anthony of Padua* had been lost. The panel was part of an altarpiece intended for the high altar of the Church of Santa Chiara in Milan, and...
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St. Peter's Basilica: The dome of the Clementine Chapel has been restored; 371 square meters of mosaics have been preserved

More than 300 square meters of mosaics—371, to be exact—created in the early 17th century based on cartoons by Cristofano Roncalli, known as il Pomarancio (Pomarance, 1552 – Rome, 1626), are once again visible in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. ...
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How a Painting Changes After Restoration: Here Are the Colors of Neri di Bicci’s “Annunciation”

To understand just how much a painting can change after restoration, one need only look atthe *Annunciation* by Neri di Bicci (Florence, 1418/1420–1492) in the Church of Sant’Agata in Florence. Beneath a thick layer of grime, yellowed var...
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Michelangelo's first design for San Lorenzo will be put on display and then undergo restoration

The project for the façade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence was never completed, but the grand design conceived by Michelangelo Buonarroti ( Caprese, 1475 – Rome, 1564) for the Medici church, a particularly significant artifact remain...
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