Artwork
Copy after the Death of Santa Fina, Domenico Ghirlandaio in Collegiata, San Gimignano (Siena)
Copy after the Death of Santa Fina, Domenico Ghirlandaio in Collegiata, San Gimignano (Siena) is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Giuseppe Gnoli. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour on arched paper is a copy of a fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Collegiata of San Gimignano, depicting a scene with Santa Fina and St Gregory the Great.
Subject & Meaning
The scene shows Santa Fina on the floor with two women nearby, while St Gregory appears in a mandorla with angels in a room with two windows. The setting includes a ceiling resembling a stage, a figure at an upper window, and a bed with cherubs.
Technique & Style
The artist employed looser brushstrokes and softer colours than the original fresco, blending traditional and contemporary styles. The watercolour's execution differs from the source material, giving the figures a narrative quality within a realistic room setting.
History & Provenance
Originally created for the Arundel Society, the watercolour was later reproduced as a chromolithograph by Wilhelm Greve. It was acquired in 1995 from the National Gallery of London.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giuseppe Gnoli carried watercolors like a doctor carries a black bag—fresh out of Florence’s Academy, he’d trek to old churches just to sit and copy faded frescoes.
Copy after the Nativity of the Virgin, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
copy after the Burial of Santa Fina, Domenico Ghirlandaio in Collegiata, San Gimignano (Siena)
Copy after the Birth of St John the Baptist, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
Copy after The meeting of Augustus and the Sibyl, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel, Chiesa di Santa Trinita (Florence)
Copy after the Marriage of the Virgin, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
Copy after Zacharias writes down the name of his Son, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
Copy after The Expulsion of Joachim from the Temple, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
Copy after The Last Supper, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Chiesa di Ognissanti (Florence)
Copy after the Death of St Francis, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel, Chiesa di Santa Trinita (Florence)
Copy after the Preaching of St. John the Baptist, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Santa Maria Novella (Florence)
Copy after Calling of the Apostoles, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican (Rome)
Copy after the Death of St Francis, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel, Chiesa di Santa Trinita (Florence)
Madonna and Child with donor
Copy after <i>Virgin and Child</i>, Fra Bartolomeo in the Convent of San Marco (Florence)
Copy after the painting Isaac blessing Jacob attributed to the Isaac Master in the Upper Church, San Francesco, Assisi.
The Assumption of the Virgin with Two Bishops and Other Figures
Poets on Mount Parnassus