Date
First half of the 16th-century
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Virgin and Child
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
About The Work
The Madonna and Child is an anonymous Lombard mural painting datable to the first half of the sixteenth century. Originally conceived as a wall painting, the work was later removed from its original architectural context through the technique of strappo, a practice widely employed in northern Italy during the early nineteenth century. Diagnostic analyses and stylistic observation confirm its mural origin, evidenced by the matte palette, granular surface texture, and absence of characteristics typical of easel painting.
Archival research strongly suggests that the detachment was executed by Stefano Barezzi, active in Lombardy and closely associated with Brera in the early decades of the nineteenth century. The work’s current structure—paint layer transferred onto a very thin canvas and mounted on a wooden panel—is consistent with Barezzi’s distinctive working method, also documented in other detached murals attributed to him. The numerous cuts visible in the textile support are not accidental damages but appear to be directly linked to his specific extraction technique.
From a stylistic point of view, the painting has long been generically assigned to the Lombard school. However, recent comparative studies have highlighted convincing affinities with works attributed to the Maestro dei Santi Cosma e Damiano, an anonymous master active in the early 16th-century. In particular, the physiognomic render ng of the figures, the compositional balance, and the chromatic sobriety closely recall the frescoes attributed to this master in the church at Siziano, strengthening the
hypothesis of a shared authorship or workshop environment.
The conservation history of the Madonna and Child is complex and marked by prolonged neglect. Following its transfer, the work suffered structural stresses due to the rigid wooden support, environmental instability, and inappropriate storage conditions. Water infiltration caused extensive staining and discoloration, while movements of the wooden panels led to tears and losses in the fragile paint layer. The recent restoration campaign addressed both structural and surface issues, while preserving the historic
evidence of the transfer, now considered an integral part of the artwork’s material history.
Archival research strongly suggests that the detachment was executed by Stefano Barezzi, active in Lombardy and closely associated with Brera in the early decades of the nineteenth century. The work’s current structure—paint layer transferred onto a very thin canvas and mounted on a wooden panel—is consistent with Barezzi’s distinctive working method, also documented in other detached murals attributed to him. The numerous cuts visible in the textile support are not accidental damages but appear to be directly linked to his specific extraction technique.
From a stylistic point of view, the painting has long been generically assigned to the Lombard school. However, recent comparative studies have highlighted convincing affinities with works attributed to the Maestro dei Santi Cosma e Damiano, an anonymous master active in the early 16th-century. In particular, the physiognomic render ng of the figures, the compositional balance, and the chromatic sobriety closely recall the frescoes attributed to this master in the church at Siziano, strengthening the
hypothesis of a shared authorship or workshop environment.
The conservation history of the Madonna and Child is complex and marked by prolonged neglect. Following its transfer, the work suffered structural stresses due to the rigid wooden support, environmental instability, and inappropriate storage conditions. Water infiltration caused extensive staining and discoloration, while movements of the wooden panels led to tears and losses in the fragile paint layer. The recent restoration campaign addressed both structural and surface issues, while preserving the historic
evidence of the transfer, now considered an integral part of the artwork’s material history.
Title
Madonna con il Bambino
Creator
Maestro dei Santi Cosma e Damiano
Subject
Virgin and Child
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Collection
Date
First half of the 16th-century
Inscriptions
On the reverse of the panel, center, in chalk: "1679"
Crest
On the reverse of the panel, top left, paper label: "Accademia di Belle Arti e Liceo Artistico / Milano / N. 266 / Ignoto / La Madonna col bambino" / cm 94 x 138 £. 20.000"; paper label: "Ignoto/ Madonna con/ Bambino/ 233"; top right, paper label: "226 / ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI DI BRERA / Ignoto / la Madonna col Bambino / tav. a olio senza cornice cm 94 x 138".
Technique / Support
Detached fresco mounted on panel
Visual analysis of the technique
The Madonna con il Bambino, attributed to a Lombard master active in the early sixteenth century and stylistically close to the so-called Maestro dei Santi Cosma e Damiano, is a detached mural painting (strappo) transferred onto a thin canvas and later mounted on a wooden panel. The pictorial surface retains the matte, powdery quality and fine granular texture typical of fresco technique, with pigments absorbed into a thin intonachino layer. Stylistically, the figures are defined by a measured compositional balance, soft chiaroscuro modeling, and a restrained chromatic range, reflecting a late Lombard Renaissance sensitivity influenced by Leonardesque spatial clarity and devotional intimacy.
Dimensions
cm 94 x 138
Acquisition
Undocumented
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Inventory number
Inv. 1980, 226
Bibliography
Pignotti, Serafina. “Il restauro del dipinto murale strappato Madonna con Bambino appartenente al Patrimonio Storico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera”. In Restauro in Accademia. Quaderni della Scuola di restauro, a. 2022, n. 1. Firenze: Edifir, 2022. 67-81.
Conservation status
Fair
Restoration history
The restoration of Madonna con Bambino was carried out following a careful diagnostic campaign that clarified the painting’s materials, technique, and state of preservation. The intervention aimed to stabilize the structure, recover legibility, and respect the artwork’s historical integrity. The structural restoration of the artwork took into consideration both the wooden support — which was preserved as a historicized element bearing witness to the strappo technique used by Stefano Barezzi — and the canvas support adhered to the wooden panel. The wooden support was fitted with new crossbars equipped with springs in order to better accommodate the natural movements of the wooden panel. The textile support attached to the panel was treated with canvas inserts to repair existing losses. The painting underwent a careful cleaning process aimed at removing atmospheric particulate deposits. This was followed by the consolidation of the paint layer through localized injections of thermoplastic resin. Finally, filling operations and pictorial retouching were carried out.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific supervisor: Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Davide Riggiardi
Operator: Serafina Pignotti
Context: intervention carried out in an educational setting, as part of a Thesis Project
Funding institution: Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Supervisory Authority: Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific supervisor: Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Davide Riggiardi
Operator: Serafina Pignotti
Context: intervention carried out in an educational setting, as part of a Thesis Project
Funding institution: Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Diagnostic analysis
Visible light photography
Raking light photography
Ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence photography
FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analysis
GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) analysis. Analyses conducted in collaboration with Professor Antonella Casoli (Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della sostenibilità Ambientale dell'Università di Parma)
Raking light photography
Ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence photography
FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analysis
GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) analysis. Analyses conducted in collaboration with Professor Antonella Casoli (Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della sostenibilità Ambientale dell'Università di Parma)
Restoration bibliography
Academic Master Degree Thesis in Conservation of Cultural Heritage by Serafina Pignotti
Advisor: Davide Riggiardi
Co-Advisors: Ilaria Saccani, Antonella Casoli
Thesis Title: RESTAURO DEL DIPINTO MURALE STRAPPATO “MADONNA CON BAMBINO” APPARTENENTE AL PATRIMONIO STORICO DELL’ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI DI BRERA, Academic Year 2016/2017
Advisor: Davide Riggiardi
Co-Advisors: Ilaria Saccani, Antonella Casoli
Thesis Title: RESTAURO DEL DIPINTO MURALE STRAPPATO “MADONNA CON BAMBINO” APPARTENENTE AL PATRIMONIO STORICO DELL’ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI DI BRERA, Academic Year 2016/2017
Unique identifier
0302201003