The Resurrection (Certosa)

The artwork

Florence was in the grip of the plague and Pontormo shut himself away in a monastery to paint the Passion of Christ: this is the Resurrection, the last scene of the story. It comes printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• A lunette, that is a half-moon fresco, detached from the wall and restored.
• A horizontal format for above a sofa, a fireplace or a sideboard.
• A gift for Easter or for anyone who loves sacred art.

In 1523 Pontormo and the young Bronzino, his pupil, took refuge from the plague at the Certosa del Galluzzo, just outside Florence. There Pontormo frescoed the stories of the Passion, drawing on the prints by Albrecht Dürer that were circulating from Germany all over Europe.

Vasari did not approve: he wrote that Pontormo had come too close to Dürer's manner, “more graceless and harsh”. Today that choice looks modern to us. Four of the five lunettes, restored thanks to Friends of Florence, are on display at the exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome alongside Dürer's woodcuts: the viewer makes the comparison.

Above a sofa, a fireplace or a sideboard: it is the gift for Easter, for anyone who loves sacred art and for anyone curious to see how an Italian looked at a German, five hundred years ago.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 40 x 60 cm (15.7 x 23.6 in)
Framed size: 42 x 62 cm (16.5 x 24.4 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with a gold fillet, handmade, with glass