‘Al fresco’ fresco: a woman stands beside a bearded man - perhaps a king, prince or nobleman - lying in bed outdoors under leafy branches in a green meadow, with alpine peaks beyond. Late Gothic or Early Renaissance fresco in ribbed ceiling vault of the medieval cloister next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta at Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.
Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: square detail of an ‘al fresco’ fresco, a charming if puzzling artwork filling a corner of a groined ceiling vault in the medieval cloister beside the Baroque Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It shows a bearded man - perhaps a king, prince or nobleman - lying with eyes closed in a single bed, while a woman wearing a long gown - perhaps his queen - stands alongside. The bed seems to be standing in the open air under leafy branches in a green meadow, with alpine peaks in the distance. The original cloister was rebuilt in Romanesque style after a fire in 1174. The earliest frescoes here, in Late Gothic style, were painted around 1390 by a group of artists active throughout this mainly German-speaking region. Later Renaissance frescoes in the cloister are judged to be either solo work by 15th century painter and sculptor Lienhart Scherhauff (also known as Leonhard von Brixen or Leonardo da Bressanone), or are by his studio, which produced fresco cycles for churches throughout South and East Tyrol. The spa city of Bressanone-Brixen was founded in 901 AD, becoming the seat of powerful Prince Bishops whose influence forged links between southern Germany and northern Italy. South Tyrol became part of Italy after the 1914-18 First World War.
Size: 2848px × 2848px
Location: Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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