by Nadia Toppino
Until March 15th on the ground floor of the Palazzo Fauzone in Germagnano, home of the Ceramics Museum of Mondovì, “The plots of Raphael” is in progress, where the tapestry created at the beginning of the sixteenth century by the Manufacture of Brussels on cardboard derived from a the work of RaffaelloSanzio, whose 500th anniversary of his death occurs in 2020.
The work exhibited in Mondovì, depicting the Madonna and Child, Saint Anne and Saint John, was commissioned by the powerful bishop of Liege Érard de la Marck.
At the end of the seventeenth century it became the property of Pope Alexander VIII Ottoboni and in 1723 his nephew, Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, donated it to the Sanctuary of Loreto.
The initiative stems from the collaboration between the Crc Foundation, the Conservation and Restoration Center La VenariaReale, the Pontifical Museum of Loreto, the Ceramics Museum and the Municipality of Mondovì.
Before being exhibited in the Monregalese capital, the work underwent a careful restoration (lasting about three months) conducted by the Conservation and Restoration Center La VenariaReale and aimed at cleaning up and consolidating the artifact, eliminating the accumulation of dust through technology laser.
The collaboration between the Ceramics Museum and the La VenariaReale Restoration Center continues, which in recent years has brought works by Manet and Kandinsky to the city.
The initiative, which anticipates the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death, proposes a fascinating journey into the matter and technique that characterizes an ancient tapestry, highlighted by the recent restoration.
The exhibition also constitutes an important opportunity to deepen Raphael’s production through the declination of his drawings on preparatory cartoons in the various arts.
The exhibition path, set up on the ground floor of the Ceramics Museum, immediately leads to a dive and a close view of the artefact.
The exhibition will be open until Sunday 15th March, Thursday and Friday from 15 to 18, Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 18.
During the opening period, a rich program of educational workshops for schools will be promoted by the Ceramics Museum.
For more information you can call 0174/40389 and 0174/559365.