LOST MASTERPIECE BY ARTIST ANDREA MANTEGNA RESURFACES IN POMPEII
The Vatican Museums are currently hosting a temporary exhibition of a long-lost picture from the middle of the 16th century that has been credited to renowned Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna. Three months later, the recently repaired picture will return to its original location—the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii, where it has been displayed for centuries.
Jesus' descent from the cross following his crucifixion is shown in the scene, which is named Deposition of Christ. Current assessments and examinations carried out by the Vatican's staff during its restoration may now substantiate the work's historical attribution to Mantegna. "The restoration uncovered iconographic and technical aspects that corroborate Mantegna's authorship, bringing a thought-lost masterpiece back to art history," said Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums.
Mantegna was a well-known artist who helped bring Italian Renaissance art back to its ancient roots. Mantegna, who was born in the Venetian Republic in 1431, had a unique technique and iconography that pushed the boundaries of perspective at the time while fortifying his connections to the past through his passion for classical sculpture and art. He was also well-known for painting a variety of pieces, mostly frescoes, for the Mantuan palace. Despite his death in 1506, Mantegna's masterpieces have endured.
The Italian scholar Pietro Summonte last mentioned the Deposition of Christ in a letter he sent in 1524. In the letter, Summonte also credits Mantegna with the piece. Before its disappearance, the picture was last known to be hanging at San Domenico Maggiore, a basilica in Naples. It's unclear how it ended up in the Pompeiian cathedral.
During the centuries that it was believed to be lost, Mantegna's work lived a tense existence, being neglected and later the subject of disastrous restoration attempts. Stefano De Mieri, a local professor and art historian, noticed a snapshot of the piece in an online database. He identified Mantegna's hand in the piece and forwarded the information to Tommaso Caputo, the bishop of the cathedral. Caputo then brought the piece to the attention of Vatican curators.
Vatican scholars first looked at the piece in 2022, closely examining the composition and underdrawings of the painting with portable UV lamps. According to Jatta, the crew "recognized instantly that beneath the layers of repainting an outstanding pictorial material was buried," and thus the restoration process started to bring the painting back to its previous splendor.
A few days before it was to be on display, the Vatican proclaimed the piece an authentic Mantegna after a protracted restoration process and additional investigation to verify authorship. Given that the Catholic Church will be commemorating Easter and the resurrection of Christ in precisely one month, this news is timely.
