Pisa: MRA-ITA-Pis001

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Geographic Location

Historical note about the site/monument: The Camposanto, neighboring the Cathedral of Pisa, was built under Archbishop Frederico Visconti in the late 13^th 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 14^th 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.

Other info about sample provenance: Pisa, Camposanto, Trionfo della Morte, Frammento con sinopia [hand-written note]

Date of sampling

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

Inventory