The Portal of the Duchesses of the Monumental Complex of the Certosa of Pavia is to be restored: the Regional Directorate National Museums Lombardy and Soroptimist International of Italy have announced the signing of a collaboration agreement aimed at the conservative restoration of the stone surfaces of the Portal, located in the right transept of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, inside the Certosa of Pavia.
If the reliefs on the portal of access to the old sacristy celebrate the dukes of Milan, those on the portal of the lavabo sacristy are dedicated to the Milanese duchesses, hence the name Portale delle Duchesse. The tympanum depicts Caterina Visconti in the center, flanked by Antonietta Malatesta and Beatrice di Tenda. In the frieze, arranged in opposing pairs, appear Bianca Maria Sforza and Beatrice d’Este, Isabella of Aragon and Bona of Savoy. The tympanum houses a high relief depicting God the Father blessing, while the lunette depicts the Virgin and Child, the object of veneration by the adoring Carthusians, surmounted by the Virtues decorating the splay of the arch. The portal jambs accommodate, within niches, the figures of the four Doctors of the Church. Stylistically and structurally, the portal reliefs appear more coherent and unified than those in the old sacristy. The work is dated to the last decade of the 15th century: the lunette is attributed to Tommaso Cazzaniga, while the busts of the duchesses are the work of Gian Cristoforo Romano.
The intervention is part of the Art Fund program promoted by Soroptimist, established with the aim of supporting projects to protect and preserve the national cultural and artistic heritage. Among the numerous proposals submitted, the Commission selected the one put forward by the Soroptimist Club Pavia, which was subsequently approved by the association’s National Council. The evaluating commission, composed of Cinzia Lacchia, curator of the Borgogna Museum in Vercelli, architect Alessandra Quendolo of the University of Trento - Department of Civil Engineering, and architect Donatella Aprile, former Superintendent of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Catania for the Sicilian Region, singled out the project for the high artistic value of the portal, which celebrates female figures of the period.
The agreement was formalized by the Director of Lombard State Museums, Rosario Maria Anzalone, and the National President of Soroptimist International of Italy, Adriana Macchi. The financial contribution made available by Soroptimist for the conservative restoration of the stone surfaces of the Portale delle Duchesse amounts to 29,920 euros. The agreement also stipulates that the Regional Directorate National Museums Lombardy will identify the company in charge of the work and ensure the technical and scientific supervision of the intervention. Barring any extensions, the restoration work is scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2026. The operational phases of the intervention will be directly supervised by the Director of the Monumental Complex of the Certosa di Pavia, architect Stefano Aiello, restorer Sara Rossotti and curator Flora Berizzi, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Monza-Brianza and Pavia.
“The initiative aims to restore full splendor to a sculptural work of exceptional value that depicts women at the forefront of the history of their time. It enhances the ensemble of female figures represented here, and enhances the empowerment of professional women-restorers who will take care of it, in accordance with Soroptimist International’s value principles,” said Soroptimist International of Italy President Adriana Macchi.
“Certosa di Pavia is a sumptuous treasure chest of works of art, evidence of an extraordinarily fertile historical period for Lombard art,” pointed out Lombard State Museums Director Rosario Maria Anzalone. “This exceptional wealth should spur us even more to consolidate our commitment on protection activities, to ensure the integrity of this cultural heritage for future generations. So we welcome meritorious initiatives such as this one, for which I can only warmly thank Soroptimist International of Italy and the President for their active availability and collaboration.”
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| The Portal of the Duchesses of the Certosa di Pavia will be restored thanks to Soroptimist's contribution |
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