Face of a saint with staring eyes. Fresco painted in the 1300s, perhaps by a pupil or follower of Giotto, and preserved with other fresco fragments on the west front of the Chiesa or Chiesetta di San Tommaso Apostolo (Church of St Thomas the Apostle) at Cavedago, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. The former parish church, now a cemetery chapel, dates from the mid-1300s and retains medieval frescoes on internal and external walls.
Cavedago, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: this fragmentary face of an unidentified saint with staring eyes – perhaps painted by a 14th century pupil or follower of Giotto – is preserved with other precious fresco remnants under a pillared portico on the west front of the Chiesa or Chiesetta di San Tommaso Apostolo (Church of St Thomas the Apostle). When the church was restored at the turn of the 21st century, extensive research prompted scholars to believe that most of its surviving medieval frescoes were painted in three distinct phases and artistic styles by workshops based in Verona and Bergamo, to the south. The excellent workmanship shown in this facial fragment – and another face alongside it – suggested they were perhaps painted by Veronese pupils or followers of the influential Florentine artist known as Giotto (Giotto di Bondone, 1267-1337). The former parish church, now a cemetery chapel, stands on an upland site offering panoramic views of the Non Valley and of rugged Brenta Dolomite peaks. It was founded in the mid-1300s and has a Romanesque bell tower with round-arched windows, as well as ribbed Gothic vaults over its nave. Several 14th century frescoes survive on the interior walls and the west front also features a gigantic painting of St Christopher carrying the Christ Child, attributed to a mid-14th century itinerant Lombard artist known as the Maestro di Sommacampagna. In the early 1900s, fire destroyed the church roof and weakened the whole structure. It re-opened after repairs, but then in 1974 lost its parochial function. Major restoration work between 1999 and 2002, supported by detailed studies of the building and its artworks, succeeded in restoring San Tommaso to its former glory.
Size: 2729px × 2729px
Location: Cavedago, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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