Description
The Museo delle Sinopie stands on the south side of piazza del Duomo in Pisa, in a long brick building, the former Spedale Nuovo. It holds the preparatory drawings for the frescoes of the Camposanto, hidden for centuries beneath the paintings.
The sinopias are drawn in red ochre directly on the wall, before the fresco is laid on. It is like watching an artist think: quick strokes, second thoughts, different hands that in the finished work look like one.
In July 1944 a bombing set the roof of the Camposanto on fire, and molten lead ran down over the frescoes. To save them, restorers detached them from the wall. Underneath they found the drawings, remarkably well preserved. The first detachments, in 1947, brought them back to light. From 1952 they were displayed temporarily in the Camposanto, awaiting a home of their own.
Here you can read the work of different artists up close: Buffalmacco, Andrea Bonaiuti, Antonio Veneziano, Spinello Aretino, Taddeo Gaddi, Piero di Puccio, Benozzo Gozzoli. Among the studies to look for is the one for the Triumph of Death.
The sinopias are displayed on two floors, with panels on the walls and suspended walkways that let you view them from different heights. In a multimedia area a 3D simulation shows the Camposanto through the centuries.
The building deserves attention too. The pavilion was built in 1337 to receive pilgrims and the sick. The 20th-century restoration brought back the niches beside each bed and the 14th-century decoration in gray bands.
Don't miss the large glazed arch on the square: from here the Leaning Tower and the Camposanto are seen from an unusual angle. Above the entrance portal is a small bell gable with a wind rose.
Inside, two original wooden trusses have been left in view, recalling the old roof. The building served as a hospital until 1969, when part of it was given over to the museum.
The sinopias are drawn in red ochre directly on the wall, before the fresco is laid on. It is like watching an artist think: quick strokes, second thoughts, different hands that in the finished work look like one.
In July 1944 a bombing set the roof of the Camposanto on fire, and molten lead ran down over the frescoes. To save them, restorers detached them from the wall. Underneath they found the drawings, remarkably well preserved. The first detachments, in 1947, brought them back to light. From 1952 they were displayed temporarily in the Camposanto, awaiting a home of their own.
Here you can read the work of different artists up close: Buffalmacco, Andrea Bonaiuti, Antonio Veneziano, Spinello Aretino, Taddeo Gaddi, Piero di Puccio, Benozzo Gozzoli. Among the studies to look for is the one for the Triumph of Death.
The sinopias are displayed on two floors, with panels on the walls and suspended walkways that let you view them from different heights. In a multimedia area a 3D simulation shows the Camposanto through the centuries.
The building deserves attention too. The pavilion was built in 1337 to receive pilgrims and the sick. The 20th-century restoration brought back the niches beside each bed and the 14th-century decoration in gray bands.
Don't miss the large glazed arch on the square: from here the Leaning Tower and the Camposanto are seen from an unusual angle. Above the entrance portal is a small bell gable with a wind rose.
Inside, two original wooden trusses have been left in view, recalling the old roof. The building served as a hospital until 1969, when part of it was given over to the museum.