Rediscovered 14th century fresco cycle opens to public

"The frescoes had been whitewashed over centuries ago. The first signs that there was surviving painting underneath the whitewash emerged in 1999 restoration. Two years later, the removal of a false ceiling revealed large intact portions of the frescoes, albeit mostly covered in layers of whitewash. It took another 20 years for the complete uncovering and restoration of the surviving frescoes to begin."

"The Thebaid is an epic poem by the 1st century Roman poet Statius that recounts the mythological civil wars of Thebes in several episodes. It wasn't hugely popular in antiquity, but it was very influential in the literature of the Middle Ages. There are no mythological scenes or any references to the ancient epic in the fresco cycle, however. Like the poem, it is episodic in layout,"

A cycle of medieval frescoes titled Thebaid by Lippo Vanni (early 1340s) has been rediscovered and restored in the Santa Maria della Scala Museum Complex in Siena and returns to public view on November 7th. The frescoes were concealed under centuries of whitewash; initial traces emerged during 1999 restoration and a 2001 removal of a false ceiling revealed large intact portions. Full uncovering and conservation began after two further decades of work. The cycle adapts the episodic layout of Statius's Thebaid to depict Thebes as an Egyptian desert inhabited by Desert Fathers. The frescoes decorated the entrance hall of the Compagnia dei Disciplinati and served to prepare penitential brothers who practiced flagellation and austere ritual in the adjacent oratory.

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