L'intervento di restauro

The present study, devoted to the principal tabernacle (or aedicule) on the exterior of the Florentine guild-church of Orsanmichele, was prompted by the restoration of this small but celebrated masterpiece of Florentine late-gothic architecture: so celebrated that it is mentioned by many sources from Vasari onwards and has over the centuries been a never-ending source of art-historical interest and controversy, involving the names of Donatello, Brunelleschi, Michelozzo and Verrocchio who all contributed to its decoration. This is the first time, however, that original conclusions and unpublished findings have been presented on the tabernacle, based precisely on its recent restoration and the direct analysis of its various components that this had made possible. The complex historical events surrounding the tabernacle, its changes in ownership from its first commissioning by the Parte Guelfa in republican times to its later patronage by the Tribunale della Mercanzia during the Medici principato, all had their repercussions on its aesthetic appearance. Antonio Godoli, director of Orsanmichele, traces the historical development of the tabernacle also through the political changes that took place in the city; Gabriele Morolli, professor of architectural history and literature at the University of Florence, examines in depth its architectural orders; while Camilla Mancini, professional restorer in charge of the tabernacle’s restoration, analyzes the materials used in its construction and the techniques used in its execution.