The restoration of the Madonna of the Girdle by Andrea della Robbia

The restoration of the Madonna della Cintola (1502) by Andrea della Robbia, kept in the Collegiate Church of San Martino e Leonardo in Foiano della Chiana (AR), has been completed and a volume published by DARTE for Tau Editrice tells its history and importance. The intervention was financed by Fabrizio Moretti, an international art dealer, but who has always been linked to Foiano, his father Alfredo's place of origin.

on 27 April at 5pm in the Collegiata of San Martino e Leonardo in Foiano della Chiana (AREZZO), will be presented the book Andrea della Robbia. History and Restoration of the Madonna della Cintola di Foiano with an interesting essay by Tommaso Mozzati, associate professor at the University of Perugia, and a text by Nicoletta Marcolongo and Angela Tascioni of the Studio Ardiglione of Florence, who supervised the restoration of the work under the direction of Jane Donnini.

In memory of his father Alfredo, Fabrizio pledged to finance the restoration of this work, an important element within a civic space dedicated to the people of Foiano and owned by the local community. Motivated by the desire not only to 'give back to the community a masterpiece by Andrea della Robbia through careful restoration' but also to honour the memory of his father, who 'always held his hometown close to his heart', Fabrizio's intentions underline the unique significance of the Madonna della Cintola. In this work of great importance, the majestic silhouette of the Virgin Mary, supported by six angels, appears to Saints Thomas and Leonard within a mandorla of cherubs and is crowned by the figure of God the Father, whose arms are open in a gesture of welcome and protection. It is therefore deeply significant that the Madonna della Cintola, marked by the traits of a complex history of conservation, can now be returned to the people of Foiano in full and radiant clarity, thanks to the generous contribution of Fabrizio Moretti. This gesture thus makes it possible to perpetuate a centuries-old narrative, closely linked to the events of the Foiano della Chiana community and to the very essence of its social and cultural identity.