Skip to Main Content

 Admission is always freeOpen today: 10:00  to 5:00  Directions             Play Artle            

                  -  Visit                      - Visit
                    - Getting Here
                    - Accessibility
                    - Tours, Guides & Maps
                    - Food & Drink
                    - Gallery Shops
                    - Visitor Policies 
                  -  Collection                      - Collection
                    - Highlights
                    - Search the Collection
                    - Artists Search
                    - Acquisition Highlights
                    - Stories
                    - Games 
                  -  Exhibitions                      - Exhibitions
                    - Current
                    - Special Installations
                    - Upcoming
                    - On Tour
                    - Past 
                  -  Calendar                      - Calendar
                    - Films
                    - Performances
                    - Talks
                    - Guided Tours
                    - After Hours
                    - Fun for Kids
                    - Festivals
                    - Workshops 
                  -  Learn                      - Learn
                    - Teachers
                    - Families
                    - Teens
                    - Adults
                    - Learning Resources
                    - Music Programs
                    - Film Programs 
                  -  Conservation                      - Conservation
                    - Projects
                    - Publications
                    - Resources 
                  -  Research                      - Research
                    - The Center
                    - Publications
                    - Make an Appointment
                    - Archives
                    - Library
                    - NGA Online Editions 
                  -  Support                      - Support
                    - Donate Now
                    - National Membership
                    - Circle Membership
                    - Leadership Groups
                    - Planned Giving
                    - Major Giving
                    - Gifts of Art 
                  -  Shop                      - Shop
                    - Books
                    - Jewelry
                    - Apparel & Accessories
                    - Kids
                    - NGA Custom Prints 
                  -  Play Artle

Home>Research>Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts>Research Projects>Members' Research Report Archive>Cecilia Frosinini, 2012–2013

About Fellowships

Senior Fellowships

Visiting Senior Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowships

Center Members

Members’ Presentations

Former Members

Members’ Research Reports, 2011–2018

About Center Meetings

Recent & Upcoming Meetings

A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts

Wyeth Foundation for American Art Programs

Sydney J. Freedberg Lectures on Italian Art

Research at the Center

The Index of American Design

History of Early American Landscape Design

The History of the Accademia di San Luca, c. 1590–1635

About the Center Publications

Recent & Upcoming Publications

Reflections on the Collection: The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professors at the National Gallery of Art

Studies in the History of Art

Seminar Papers

*Center Report*

From the *Bulletin*

Research Publications

Special Publications

National Gallery of Art Shop

# Members' Research Report Archive

*Giotto in Florence: Shedding New Light on the Peruzzi Chapel*

**Cecilia Frosinini**, Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Restauro, FlorenceEdmond J. Safra Visiting Professor, spring 2013

During my 2012 fellowship at CASVA I began to elaborate my study of the technical analyses carried out on the mural paintings by Giotto di Bondone in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels in the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. After enduring a long history of abuse, including damage accrued from whitewashing, in 1958–1961 both chapels were the focus of a restoration campaign conducted by Leonetto Tintori under the direction of Ugo Procacci. At the time, few forms of scientific analysis were available for fresco paintings, and in the intervening decades little attention was paid to the chapels from a technical point of view. Seeking a more precise understanding of Giotto’s artistic technique in the late phase of his career, in 2009–2012 the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and its scientific partners carried out an investigation with the support of the Getty Foundation. The results of this campaign are being published as a book, currently under editorial revision in Italy.Much of my attention this year has been devoted to studying the results collected in the Peruzzi Chapel by means of ultraviolet fluorescence photography. The observation of works of art under long-wave UV light, which makes visible specific characteristics of painted surfaces otherwise invisible to the naked eye, is one of the most commonly used noninvasive means of analysis for paintings. Depending on their chemical composition, certain materials, especially organic ones, produce differently colored fluorescence under UV light. The distinctive luminosities emitted under such conditions can differentiate or make evident the presence of substances that are not clearly distinguishable in visible light. Aged varnishes also emit different-colored fluorescence depending on their chemical makeup.Examination of the paintings of the Peruzzi Chapel under UV light revealed extraordinary details. The causes for this unusual UV fluorescence are unknown, but many hypotheses are viable. The intonaco layer may have an unusual composition, causing the anomalous UV scattering, or the artist may have employed unconventional painting materials. Other factors may be related to aspects of the murals’ conservation history, such as the removal of whitewash (which could have initiated a process of saponification) or the effects of past preservation treatments (probable albeit undocumented).  Such treatments could have employed high-retention solvents or solvents that reacted strongly with organic materials in the paint layers. The presence of additional organic materials from previous treatments employing fixatives and consolidants or interaction between later restoration materials and the original materials may also be partially responsible.Unusual fluorescence may also be due to the interaction of pigments and binders over time. The painting technique of the Peruzzi Chapel is generally considered to be *a secco*. Even if a more thorough analysis shows notable differences in technique from one part to another, it is most probable that the unusual results obtained by UV fluorescence are due to the use of the *a secco* technique and, in particular, the interaction between the binding medium that Giotto utilized and specific pigments. (It must be underlined that the analysis has shown the presence of numerous pigments incompatible with the technique of *buon fresco*, such as cinnabar, minium, malachite, verdigris, and orpiment.)The current condition of the Peruzzi Chapel murals and the material contamination brought about through previous restoration campaigns has made definitive scientific analysis of the artist’s technique difficult. The chemical analyses that were conducted on several areas of the painted decoration during our diagnostic campaign revealed the presence of lipids, but only in some parts. In general, a proteinaceous binder was detected, probably egg. It is possible, therefore, that the application of whitewash to the murals in the eighteenth century could have saponified superficial fatty substances, making them more difficult to detect.Notwithstanding these difficulties, the UV photos we gathered provide compelling physical evidence of the enormous importance of the Peruzzi murals for Giotto’s contemporaries and ensuing generations of Florentine artists. In these photographs the damaged figures become three-dimensional again. We can see all the chiaroscuro effects, the construction of bodies under garments, and the architectural rendering of the buildings. Many details that were no longer visible resurface, such as the folds of the garments and the expressions of the faces. The UV fluorescence photographic campaign is worthy of a full monographic study in itself. It will further allow us to propose new hypotheses regarding the chronology of the cycle and its influence on the contemporary and later Florentine school of painting. If it was difficult to imagine how the wall paintings would have appeared when just completed, now we have some better insights.All the photographic materials will be made available online after the publication of a book on the UV images and the speculations we may make from them regarding the original appearance of the Peruzzi Chapel murals.

*Center 33 (*includes image not shown here)**

                  - Giotto
                  - Italian , 1265 - 1337

*The Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence: a Reconsideration of Giotto's Technique, Chronology, and Patronage***Cecilia Frosinini**, Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Restauro, FlorenceAilsa Mellon Bruce Visiting Senior Fellow, March 15 – May 15, 2012

### Stay connected

Learn more about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers.

About
          - About the National Gallery
          - Stories
          - Press
          - FAQs
          - Contact Us

Plan a Visit
          - Getting Here
          - Accessibility
          - Today's Tours
          - Food & Drink
          - Calendar
          - Downloadable Map

Get Involved
          - Donate
          - Membership
          - Volunteer
          - Opportunities
          - Shop Online

Resources
          - Search the Collection
          - Conservation
          - Library
          - Archives
          - The Center
          - Film Programs
          - Music Programs
          - Audio/Video
          - Open Access Images

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

**West Building**6th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter or exit from Constitution Avenue, 4th Street, or 7th Street. The Madison Drive entrance is currently closed.*

**East Building**4th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 4th Street.*

**Sculpture Garden**7th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 7th Street, Constitution Avenue, or Madison Drive.*

We are closed on December 25 and January 1.

*The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.*

          -  Twitter 
          -  Facebook 
          -  Instagram 
          -  Pinterest 
          -  YouTube 

© 2024 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy