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

This altar piece 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 artwork is no longer present, removed in 1806 during the Napoleonic suppressions.
The altar piece, 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 damage, due to humidity. In the 1980s, it was stored in a horizontal position in the magazines/workshops of the Museum of the Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia.
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.