Processing
Pictography in fresco on lime ‘Retouch’ category. Retouching by hand with oxide-based earths. Made on the base while still fresh for exceptional durability. Worked with a magnifying glass to recreate every detail; hot chalk reliefs, gilding in pure gold leaf.
History
The Death of the Knight of Celano constitutes the sixteenth of the twenty-eight scenes of the cycle of frescoes dedicated to the Stories of St. Francis, located in the Upper Basilica of Assisi and attributed to Giotto. The work is estimated to have been painted between 1295 and 1299. This scene, among the most dramatic of the cycle, is divided into two distinct parts. On the left, there is an architecture framing a banquet with Saint Francis and another friar; on the right, there is the crowd gathered around the noble knight, lying down and struck dead. The two sections present a strong contrast: the left side is dominated by the figure of the standing friar, while the right side is characterised by the presence of the mourners around the dying man. Particularly noteworthy is the depiction of the architecture, which extends with a verisimilar depth, and the attention to detail of the furnishings on the table, which further enriches the scene.
Giotto, The death of the knight of Celano (RETOUCH)