One of the most important medieval devotional images in Florence has returned to public view following a major restoration project at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. The fresco known as the Madonna della Pura, long associated with Marian devotion and local miracle traditions, has undergone conservation work that has revealed details hidden for decades beneath dirt, overpainting, and earlier restoration efforts.
The project was carried out by Andrea Vigna of Habilis Srl, with the collaboration of Paola Viviani and Stefania Franceschini, under the supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for Florence, Pistoia, and Prato. Funding was provided by Friends of Florence through the generosity of donors William and Jeanne Bice.
“We are particularly pleased to have supported the restoration of the Madonna della Pura, an image deeply rooted in the devotional history of Santa Maria Novella and in the memory of the city of Florence,” said Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, President of Friends of Florence. “This intervention has made it possible to recover the legibility and beauty of a work that for centuries has accompanied the spirituality of generations of worshippers and visitors.”
A Medieval Image and a Miracle Tradition
Detail of the Madonna della Pura – image courtesy Friends of Florence
The fresco’s history is closely tied to the Dominican Order, which promoted devotion to the Virgin Mary through confraternities and popular religious practices. According to tradition, the image originally decorated the tomb of the Della Luna family in the cemetery beside Santa Maria Novella.
Created in the late fourteenth century, the fresco depicted the Virgin and Child accompanied by Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the donor. The image became famous after a reported miracle involving a group of children playing near the tomb. According to the story, the Virgin Mary appeared and instructed one of the children to clear away the dust and cobwebs covering the image using a leafy reed.
News of the event spread rapidly, and the fresco soon became the focus of intense popular devotion. Within a year, an altar had been erected before the image. The children involved in the story became known as the “children of purity,” and devotion surrounding them grew to such an extent that the Dominican friars granted the Ricasoli family permission to build a chapel dedicated to housing the fresco.
Completed in 1476, the chapel incorporated the painting into an elegant architectural shrine designed by Giovanni di Bertino. Inspired by classical forms and intended to be viewed from a carefully planned perspective, the setting elevated the Madonna della Pura into one of the most important Marian images within Santa Maria Novella.
Challenges of Conservation
The Madonna della Pura before its restoration – image courtesy Friends of Florence
The fresco did not survive the twentieth century untouched. During the 1950s it was detached from its original location and mounted onto a three-layer masonite support, a common conservation practice at the time.
Although the support remained stable, conservators found that the painted surface had suffered from decades of accumulated dust and atmospheric deposits. Scratches and abrasions interrupted parts of the image, while previous restoration campaigns had introduced overpainting and fills that altered the work’s appearance.
Particularly problematic were extensive retouchings applied to the flesh tones. Executed with organic materials, these additions had darkened and changed colour over time, obscuring the original artist’s work. Earlier fills also extended beyond damaged areas, interfering with the overall readability of the image.
Revealing the Original Painting
Detail of the Madonna della Pura – image courtesy Friends of Florence
The restoration team began with a careful dry cleaning using soft brushes and controlled suction before proceeding to a wet cleaning with natural sponges and demineralised water.
Special attention was given to the altered overpainting. Conservators applied Japanese paper poultices soaked in an ammonium carbonate solution, allowing the unwanted additions to soften and be removed safely. Unsuitable fills were reduced or eliminated, while losses were repaired using traditional materials composed of aged slaked lime and selected silica sand.
The final stage involved reintegrating abrasions and losses with watercolours, following modern conservation principles that ensure interventions remain distinguishable from the original while allowing viewers to appreciate the image as a coherent whole.
The work has transformed how the fresco can be viewed. The removal of twentieth-century additions restored balance to the flesh tones and revealed details and colours that had long been hidden beneath surface deposits and earlier restoration work.
Representatives of Friends of Florence, the restoration team, and supporters gather during the presentation of the restored Madonna della Pura in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. From left to right: Rosaria Frescobaldi, Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, Andrea Vigna, Fr. Manuel Russo, Jeanne Bice, and William Bice.
One of the most important medieval devotional images in Florence has returned to public view following a major restoration project at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. The fresco known as the Madonna della Pura, long associated with Marian devotion and local miracle traditions, has undergone conservation work that has revealed details hidden for decades beneath dirt, overpainting, and earlier restoration efforts.
The project was carried out by Andrea Vigna of Habilis Srl, with the collaboration of Paola Viviani and Stefania Franceschini, under the supervision of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for Florence, Pistoia, and Prato. Funding was provided by Friends of Florence through the generosity of donors William and Jeanne Bice.
“We are particularly pleased to have supported the restoration of the Madonna della Pura, an image deeply rooted in the devotional history of Santa Maria Novella and in the memory of the city of Florence,” said Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, President of Friends of Florence. “This intervention has made it possible to recover the legibility and beauty of a work that for centuries has accompanied the spirituality of generations of worshippers and visitors.”
A Medieval Image and a Miracle Tradition
The fresco’s history is closely tied to the Dominican Order, which promoted devotion to the Virgin Mary through confraternities and popular religious practices. According to tradition, the image originally decorated the tomb of the Della Luna family in the cemetery beside Santa Maria Novella.
Created in the late fourteenth century, the fresco depicted the Virgin and Child accompanied by Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the donor. The image became famous after a reported miracle involving a group of children playing near the tomb. According to the story, the Virgin Mary appeared and instructed one of the children to clear away the dust and cobwebs covering the image using a leafy reed.
News of the event spread rapidly, and the fresco soon became the focus of intense popular devotion. Within a year, an altar had been erected before the image. The children involved in the story became known as the “children of purity,” and devotion surrounding them grew to such an extent that the Dominican friars granted the Ricasoli family permission to build a chapel dedicated to housing the fresco.
Completed in 1476, the chapel incorporated the painting into an elegant architectural shrine designed by Giovanni di Bertino. Inspired by classical forms and intended to be viewed from a carefully planned perspective, the setting elevated the Madonna della Pura into one of the most important Marian images within Santa Maria Novella.
Challenges of Conservation
The fresco did not survive the twentieth century untouched. During the 1950s it was detached from its original location and mounted onto a three-layer masonite support, a common conservation practice at the time.
Although the support remained stable, conservators found that the painted surface had suffered from decades of accumulated dust and atmospheric deposits. Scratches and abrasions interrupted parts of the image, while previous restoration campaigns had introduced overpainting and fills that altered the work’s appearance.
Particularly problematic were extensive retouchings applied to the flesh tones. Executed with organic materials, these additions had darkened and changed colour over time, obscuring the original artist’s work. Earlier fills also extended beyond damaged areas, interfering with the overall readability of the image.
Revealing the Original Painting
The restoration team began with a careful dry cleaning using soft brushes and controlled suction before proceeding to a wet cleaning with natural sponges and demineralised water.
Special attention was given to the altered overpainting. Conservators applied Japanese paper poultices soaked in an ammonium carbonate solution, allowing the unwanted additions to soften and be removed safely. Unsuitable fills were reduced or eliminated, while losses were repaired using traditional materials composed of aged slaked lime and selected silica sand.
The final stage involved reintegrating abrasions and losses with watercolours, following modern conservation principles that ensure interventions remain distinguishable from the original while allowing viewers to appreciate the image as a coherent whole.
The work has transformed how the fresco can be viewed. The removal of twentieth-century additions restored balance to the flesh tones and revealed details and colours that had long been hidden beneath surface deposits and earlier restoration work.
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