Death

Funeral of St Albert of Trapani, 1613 by Bernardino Monaldi

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy

Oil on panel

Restored by the MMG Foundation 2016-2017

Inspiration

In mid-2016 shortly following Mircea’s funeral and while the initial maintenance work proposal was underway for the Verocchio fountain in the Palazzo Vecchio, Luke wanted to explore an additional project. He could see the positive impact the application of mourners donations to a restoration project was having and sensed it might be a good idea to undertake another restoration

It was clear to Luke that everyone, himself included, was grappling with Mircea’s death with difficulty. Suicide often leaves those left behind with many questions unanswered about life, its meaning and purpose and our place in that continuum. At the time, a project had been identified by Daniela Murphy as work was going on in the Brancacci Chapel which is part of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine complex in central Florence.

The massive panel painting in the main nave of the Basilica of the Funeral of St. Albert by Monaldi (1613) was identified by the site manager and other conservators in need of significant restoration.

Proposal / Motivation

This oil painting depicts death not as rupture, but as passage and as seen in the heavens a sort of rapture. And so while the individuals attending Albert are pensive and contemplative, the angels welcome and honor him in a state of otherworldly light.

As Daniela Murphy who would lead the conservation team outlined during the project scoping in the second half of 2016 “The project will require quite a large and diversified team of scientists. Specialists will be employed to do X-rays, infrared multispectral imaging samples and take cross sections of the colour for microscopic pieces of paint to analyse the constituting materials . All of this diagnostic information will be included alongside the conservators observations studying the panel painting, together with information from art historians. This multi-faceted approach will allow us to assemble the history behind this panel painting and how best to proceed with its conservation.”

Santa Maria del Carmine church remains an important place of worship with a large local congregation in Florence. It is also home to the renowned Brancacci Chapel, located in the south transept—an iconic destination for visitors from around the world. The chapel contains one of the earliest and most significant examples of Florentine Renaissance frescoes, dating from the late 14th to early 15th century.

Outcomes

Given the cultural and spiritual importance of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, the restoration drew a surprisingly significant public interest. Scaffolding was opened to both invited guests and the general public, allowing them to witness the conservation work up close. Many visitors were visibly moved by the re-emergence of beauty from beneath layers of grime—a powerful metaphor for the redemptive power of conservation itself.

As restorers guided visitors through the site, they explained not only the urgency of the need for conservation and the meaning of the frescoes but also the deeper personal motivation behind the project: it was being carried out in memory of a colleague, Mircea, who had recently passed away. This act of remembrance, paired with the meticulous care of the restoration, created moments of profound emotional resonance—even for those who had never known him.

On October 7, 2017, a public presentation and celebration marked the completion of the work. Attendees included representatives from the Florence Superintendency, local residents, conservation experts, and supporters of the MMG Foundation from around the world.

Details of the restoration work and highlights from the event can be found in the videos available below.

Video documentation

Selected Press Coverage

Restaurato una tavola Bernardino Monaldi della Chiesa del Carmine di Firenze.

Restaurato il dipinto su tavola di Bernardino Monaldi nella Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine.

Documentation

An Unpublished Giambologna. An Opportunity for Active Protection. Celani et al. 2021.

Printed 2023 in Protection & Restoration 2021 – Newsletter of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Florence and the provinces of Pistoia and Prato

Un Giambologna inedito. Occasione per una tutela attiva. Celani et al, 2021.
Original Italian version