Madonna in Gloria con Otto Santi
restoration of an altar piece by Giovanni Bellini,
church of San Pietro martire, Murano, Venice

This altarpiece on wood of considerable size was painted by Giovanni Bellini between 1510 and 1515, for the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli di Murano. This Renaissance building is still extant but all its artworks are no longer present. Indeed, they were removed in 1806 during the Napoleonic suppressions.
The altarpiece, one of Bellini’s masterpieces, in particular, was moved to the church of San Pietro Martire, also on the island of Murano, where it suffered considerable damages, due to humidity. In the 1980s, it was stored in a horizontal position in the deposits of the Museum of the Gallerie dell’Accademia of Venice.
The paint layer is in poor condition. Due perhaps to the low quality of the primer between the paint layer and the wooden support, the paint layer reacted unexpectedly to changes in temperature and humidity.
The Opificio delle Pietre Dure di Firenze, which is currently restoring the work, has identified a type of intervention that will address the above problems allowing the public to appreciate once again this masterpiece, after more than 40 years.