This summer we revisited Tuscany, revisited Cortona and revisited the little Museo Diocesano. Actually it was only on the third or fourth visit to Cortona, last year, we discovered this little gem. On the outside it is completely unremarkable. It sits right opposite of the Cathedral in Cortona, so it is easy to locate. It is just very unremarkable, on the outside ...
On the inside it is just great. It is home to many world renowned paintings by Luca Signorelli and Fra Angelico. Two great artists of the early Italian Renaissance. Last year when we were here it was very busy and photography was strictly forbidden. This year we were almost the only ones there and it seemed they turned a blind eye to people taking photos. This allowed me to take some great shots of these superb paintings.
In one of his first true masterpieces, The Cortona Annunciation, Fra Angelico has the Virgin and the Angel say some words, like in modern cartoons. On the left, confronting Mary with a half-genuflection is the Angel, his forefinger raised in expostulation as his lips recite the sentence: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee". On the right the Virgin, her hands crossed on her breast, leans forward from her gold-brocaded seat, reciting the words of St. Luke, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word". Also note Adam and Eve, in the upper left corner, being chased out of Paradise by an angel. This painting originally stood in the church of San Domenico in Cortona. In the 19th century it was moved to the Church of Gesù in Cortona and now it resides in the Museo Diocesano, still in Cortona. See the wikipedia entry for more information on Fra Angelico (opens in a new window). Click on the thumb image below to enjoy this painting in its full glory. Please be patient, it is huge.
