ICCROM Mora Samples Collection
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Pisa: MRA-ITA-Pis001

Type Sample Item

Sample ID

MRA-ITA-Pis001

Sample Material Type

Mural painting

Sample Sub-type

fragment

Dimensions (cm)

Length
2
Width
1.2
Height
0.8

Weight

weight value (g)
1.3

Geographic Location

Country
Italy
Place
Pisa

Site/monument

Italy (ITA)
Pisa
Camposanto

Historical note about the site/monument

The Camposanto, neighboring the Cathedral of Pisa, was built under Archbishop Frederico Visconti in the late 13th century. In later centuries it housed the tombs of local luminaries including members of the Medici family and the scholars of the local university. Its continued renown, however, is owed to the numerous fresco cycles adorning its walls. The program of mural painting, begun in the 14th century, centers on religious and instructive themes, including the lives of local saints and scenes from the Old Testament. One of the most noted frescoes is the Triumph of Death (1335-40)attributed to Buonamico Buffalmacco (an artist mentioned in the Decameron as well as by Sacchetti and Vasari). Located on the south wall of the building, the fresco was previously attributed to Francesco Traini. Although the frescoes of Camposanto were damaged during the bombings and fire of the 1940s, the Triumph of Death is largely intact, allowing viewers today to appreciate the artist’s dramatic and ambitious vision.

Further reading:
Norman E, L. (2005). Vasari's Buffalmacco and the Transubstantiation of Paint. Renaissance Quarterly , 58 (3), 881-895.

Carletti, L., & Polacci, F. (2014). Transition between life and after life: analyzing the Triumph of Death in the Camposanto of Pisa. Signs and Society , 2 (S1), S84-S120.

Chronological period (sample)

14th century

Other info about sample provenance

Pisa, Camposanto, Trionfo della Morte, Frammento con sinopia [hand-written note]

Sample taken by

_

Date of sampling

Unknown
No

Related samples

this sample is related to MRA-ITA-Pis002. Both were collected from the same painting.

Other information about the sample

-

External repositories with sister samples

-

Support

Good (sample can be handled)

Finishing Layers

Good (sample can be handled)
Fig.1. Sample overview (front). Photo by M.Gil 2018 © ICCROM Archives
Camposanto, Internal courtyard.  
Luca Aless [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pisa_-_Camposanto_monumentale_01.JPG
Southern doorway with Gothic tabernable on the top, Camposanto Monumentale, Pisa (Photo by Georges Jansoone, CC BY 3.0).
The Triumph of Death, Buonamico Buffalmacco, ca. 1355, in Camposanto Monumentale, Pisa (Photo by The Yorck Project, 2002, 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei, distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202).
Fig.1. Sample overview (front). Photo by M.Gil 2018 © ICCROM Archives

Inventory

Mora Samples Collection | Fonds
Italy: MRA-ITA | Series
Pisa: MRA-ITA-Pis | File
Pisa: MRA-ITA-Pis001 | Sample Item

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