On the façade of the Church of St. Peter in Luco, which once belonged to the ancient female Camaldolese monastery, there is a lunette in majolica depicting the Madonna with Child inside a tondo (circular frame) between two angels in adoration. The inscription at the bottom tells us that the work was donated in 1930 by the Traversi Barchielli family, likely as part of the extensive restoration of the church, which was completed in 1932. Dino Chini also contributed to the restoration, providing internal pictorial decorations that are no longer extant.
The lunette does not appear to bear any factory marks; however, it is difficult to avoid linking it to the work of the San Lorenzo Furnaces, especially since the factory during this period had shifted its focus toward neo-Renaissance production, drawing inspiration from the great Tuscan artistic tradition.
In this case, the central tondo seems to evoke the famous Madonna Pazzi by Donatello, with a composition enlivened by the intense blue of the background and the luminous gilded decorations.
Scheda di Marco Pinelli, foto di Marta Magherini
© Il Filo – Idee e Notizie dal Mugello
Progetto Itinerario Liberty Mugello – Unione montana dei Comuni del Mugello
