The Famous Men and Women of Andrea del Castagno in the Uffizi Gallery.
Conservation, collections and museography
This paper aims to shed light on a few little-known aspects of the history of the Famous Men and Women fresco cycle painted by Andrea del Castagno, from its rediscovery in the middle of the 19th century to the present day. When Emilian restorer Giovanni Rizzoli tore the nine main characters off the wall in 1850, this launched the cycle on a route that would see its different fragments weather a variety of materials, collections and museums. Later they would be reunited, some having survived better than others, in the various locations in which they were exhibited. Their forthcoming exhibition in the museum layout of the Uffizi will prove a decisive step in promoting the re-evaluation of the works.