Perugino's Restored Pala di Durante Returns to Fano

The restored Pala di Durante by Pietro Perugino is on view at the Museo Civico di Palazzo Malatestiano in Fano as part of the exhibition 'Pietro Perugino a Fano. Primus pictor in orbe'. The altarpiece, commissioned in April 1488 for the church of Santa Maria Nuova in San Lazzaro, was completed in 1497 when Perugino was at the height of his career and directing the Sistine Chapel works in the Vatican. The exhibition, curated by Anna Maria Ambrosini Massari and Emanuela Daffra, opened on December 7, 2023, following an extensive restoration by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure di Firenze. For the first time, the three parts of the altarpiece are displayed at eye level, including the back of the central panel. The show also features historical documents, post-restoration reports on materials and techniques, and virtual reconstructions of a 'twin altarpiece' made for the church of the Osservanti in Senigallia. The Pala di Durante depicts the Madonna with Child and Saints John the Baptist, Louis of Toulouse, Francis, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, with a cimasa showing Christ in Piety and a predella with five scenes from the Virgin's life. Originally housed in Santa Maria Nuova, the work was moved in the 16th century to the church of San Salvatore in Fano's historic center, where it remained until the restoration.