A new exhibition has opened in Room 18 of the Capodimonte Museum, bringing together for the first time in a single room the six paintings on canvas by Annibale and Agostino Carracci, copies of the lost frescoes painted by Correggio forthe apse of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Parma.
The new display presents the entire cycle from the Farnese Collection to the public, thanks to the recent restoration of the canvases *St. John the Baptist and Angels*, *St. John the Evangelist and Angels*, and *St. Benedict and St. Mauro*, which had been stored in the museum’s vaults. The other two works, *The Coronation of the Virgin* and *Christ in Glory*, had been restored in 1996.
The project makes it possible to reassemble the group of paintings created around 1586 by the Carracci brothers to preserve the memory of Correggio’s frescoes, which were destined for destruction. It is an important testament to the extraordinary influence exerted by the Emilian master, whose artistic language contributed to the training of the two young painters, already foreshadowing their mature style.
The conservation work, which lasted about a year and was funded throughthe Art Bonus program, focused primarily on the works’ canvas supports, which had been compromised by warping, tears, and loss of tension, making it necessary to replace the old stretchers as well. Prior to restoration, the canvases were in particularly critical condition: the accumulation of surface deposits and severe oxidation of the protective varnishes had compromised their legibility and chromatic quality.
The restoration was accompanied by a series of diagnostic tests that provided new insights into the Carracci brothers’ painting techniques. The studies will continue as part of the Officina Capodimonte project —a joint laboratory for technical and scientific research dedicated to the in-depth study of artistic techniques and the conservation of the museum’s collection.
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| Capodimonte: The Carracci paintings—copies of Correggio’s lost frescoes—have been restored and brought together for the first time |
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