Uffizi Unveils Restored Leonardo Adoration of the Magi After Five-Year Project
The Uffizi Galleries in Florence revealed that Leonardo da Vinci's unfinished work, the Adoration of the Magi, will undergo restoration as part of the exhibition 'Il cosmo magico di Leonardo: l’Adorazione dei Magi restaurata,' running from March 28 to September 24, 2017. This painting, commissioned in 1481 for the San Donato in Scopeto church, was left incomplete by Leonardo in 1482. The restoration, spearheaded by Marco Ciatti and Cecilia Frosinini, focused on structural problems and uncovered the artist's evolving techniques. Ciatti emphasized the painting's groundbreaking influence on Florentine art. Additionally, the exhibition will showcase Filippino Lippi's altarpiece from 1496 and panels from his predella. Uffizi director Eike D. Schmidt stated that the artwork will be the 'guest of honor' in a new gallery dedicated to Leonardo.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Il cosmo magico di Leonardo: l’Adorazione dei Magi restaurata' runs March 28 to September 24, 2017 at the Uffizi.
- Restoration of Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi took over five years by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
- Painting was commissioned in 1481 for San Donato in Scopeto, Florence, and abandoned in 1482 when Leonardo moved to Milan.
- Restoration addressed structural panel separation, altered non-original materials, and paint flaking.
- Cleaning reveals Leonardo's working method with changes made directly on the panel.
- Marco Ciatti and Cecilia Frosinini directed the restoration; Ciatti called the work a 'revolutionary novelty' for Florentine art.
- Exhibition pairs restored painting with Filippino Lippi's 1496 Adoration altarpiece and three predella panels.
- After the exhibition, the work will be the 'guest of honor' in a new Leonardo gallery at the Uffizi.
- Funding provided by the Friends of the Uffizi.
Entities
Artists
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Filippino Lippi
- Michelangelo
Institutions
- Gallerie degli Uffizi
- Opificio delle Pietre Dure
- Friends of the Uffizi
- Pinacoteca Vaticana
- Santa Maria delle Grazie
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Milan
- San Donato in Scopeto