In Florence the Salviati Chapel is visible again after the restoration – Tuscany
(ANSA) – FLORENCE, 15 SEPT – In Florence, the Salviati Chapel, dedicated to Mary Magdalene and completely painted by Alessandro Allori and assistants between 1579 and 1580, is once again visible in Florence after decades. The chapel is kept inside the Palazzo Portinari Salviati, whose origins date back to Folco Portinari, father of Beatrice, Dante Alighieri’s muse. The 12 thousand square meter building in the heart of Florence was the subject of a long restoration initiated by the property, Ldc Group, in 2019.
During the intervention that involved the chapel, it emerged that these are oil paintings on the wall and not frescoes, as believed to date. A rare technique in the Florentine context. The pictorial cycle that decorates the small chapel includes prophets and sibyls on the vault flanked by putti who hold scrolls with alternating passages from the Holy Scriptures, at the corners, alluding to the four sacrificed in the Old Testament. On the walls with the painted panel, as on a fake painted panel, like three stories of the Magdalene that complement the altar of Martha and Mary, and a predella, now lost, that the Resurrection of Lazarus. A dense decoration, enhanced by the abundant application of gold, covers the remaining spaces of the small room including, above the entrance door, the representation of Christ supported by two angels and on the nearby walls the Saints Jacopo, Francesco and Lorenzo. From 19 September it will be possible to visit Palazzo Portinari Salviati thanks to guided tours for small groups, organized every Monday by reservation. The entire proceeds by the will of the Chang family, owner of Ldc Group, will be donated for flights of restoration in the city. With the end of the restoration of the Salviati Chapel, the recovery of the entire building was completed, which now houses a period residence with 13 suites, apartments for residential use, Il Salotto Portinari bar & bistrot and the Chic Nonna restaurant. (HANDLE).
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