GIUSTO MANETTI BATTILORO AND “THE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN” BY ROSSO FIORENTINO

GIUSTO MANETTI BATTILORO AND “THE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN” BY ROSSO FIORENTINO

The company contributes to the restoration of the Florentine Mannerist’s masterpiece by donating its gold leaf

Florence, November 2014 – Painted by Rosso Fiorentino in 1523, “The Marriage of the Virgin” is one of the most famous works of Florentine Mannerism. It created quite a stir when presented to the public, as it depicted Mary’s husband as a strong young man, thereby interrupting a lengthy iconographic tradition according to which St. Joseph was always depicted as an elderly gentleman.

The masterpiece is kept at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, in the heart of the district where the Medici family lived, and where, for several decades, the Manetti family’s workshop was also located, which at the time was already known throughout the city for its goldsmithery, engraving and gold-beating activities.

During the work’s restoration for display at the Italian Embassy in Paris and at the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, the company contributed to the restoration of the painting’s frame by donating the 22kt gold leaf needed for the gilding.