SECRET GIOTTO DISCOVERED
Restoration work on the arch leading into the chapel of St. Catherine in the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua has revealed a surprise masterpiece hidden beneath layers of grime and later decorations, with a series of saints' heads painted by Giotto.
The genius of the 14th century maestro comes out plainly in the expressions and features of the martyrs, each one distinct from the others, as well as his revolutionary mastery of perspective.
The first intuition that Giotto's hand was under the clumsy past restorations of the arch dates back to 1968 but, like so many of Italy's forgotten treasures, nothing was done until a group of sponsors finally came forward in the person of the Pontifical Delegation for the Saint's Basilica, the local Archbishop, Padua city council, Padua University and the Cariparo bank Foundation.
The Basilica contains what is considered Giotto's masterpiece – the fresco series in the Cappella degli Scrovegni, listed under the UNESCO as a WORLD HERITAGE site.
Info: Tel. +39.0670.3739 www.santantonio.org
