Raphael's Madonna del Baldacchino returns to Pescia Cathedral after 300 years

Raphael's monumental altarpiece 'Madonna del Baldacchino' (280x216 cm) has returned to Pescia Cathedral in Tuscany after three centuries, on loan from the Uffizi Galleries as part of the 'Uffizi Diffusi' project. Painted between 1506 and 1508, it is Raphael's only known large-scale public work from his Florentine period. Commissioned by the Dei family for Santo Spirito in Florence, it was left unfinished when Raphael was called to Rome by Pope Julius II in 1508. The painting was later acquired by Baldassarre Turini, a papal secretary from Pescia, and installed in the Turini Chapel of the cathedral, where it remained until 1697. That year, Grand Prince Ferdinando de' Medici purchased it, secretly moving it to Palazzo Pitti at night and replacing it with a copy by Pier Dandini to avoid public outcry. The painting was enlarged at the top by Niccolò Cassana to fit a gilded frame. A major restoration was carried out between 1987 and 1991 at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The current exhibition, organized with the Diocese of Pescia, the Municipality, and Fondazione Caript, runs until July 30, 2023, in the Turini Chapel. Visitors can see the original alongside Dandini's 17th-century copy. Access is limited to 20 people every 20 minutes; advance booking is recommended.