Tabernacle of Poggerello

Tabernacle of Poggerello

The tabernacle “del Ghirlandaio”, previously known as “del Poggerello,” “del Vannozzi,” or “del Mercante,” as described in the Fiesole guide by Il Del Rosso (1846), is depicted as follows: “[…] one encounters the remains of a famous tabernacle, composed of beautiful stone-carved ornaments: it was commissioned by Andrea di Nofero de’ Romoli, associated with the houses of this distinguished family, and was brightly painted by the renowned Ridolfo Ghirlandaio”. The tabernacle is attributed to Ridolfo Bigordi (1483-1561), also called, as his father Domenico, as Ghirlandaio.

Unfortunately, time and neglect have significantly damaged the work, with its last restoration dating back to 2008. A plaque placed below commemorates the restoration of 1930.

The tabernacle has an “aedicule” structure, with a canopy made of tiles that was once a bit more prominent than it appears today. This protects from the elements a painted wall with, at the top, two medallions depicting the half busts of two prophets. A stone frieze decorated in bas-relief frames and guides the eye to the interior of the aedicule, where the seated Virgin with the Child on her knees is depicted. The Madonna sits on an imposing seat surmounted by a vault, and to her right is recognizable St. Andrew, while on the opposite side is a martyred saint. The whole is surmounted by the figure of the Blessing Eternal Father, painted in the tabernacle’s embouchure.