Curator's introduction: Pesellino: A Renaissance Master Revealed

Fascinating online lecture from the National Gallery introducing their exhibition on the 15th century artist Pesellino.

The show marks the conservation of two panels on the story of David by Pesellino and the talk brought together Laura Llewellyn, the curator of the show and Jill Dunkerton who had worked on the conservation.

Llewellyn talked us through the other works in the show and outlined what we know about the artists short life describing their technique and content. She focused in particular on the galleries own Pistoia Santa Trinita altarpiece which had been cut up in the 19th century and entered the collection incrementally in pieces.

Dunkerton then talked about how she conserved the two David panels and what she learnt from the process. She talked about the quality and amount of gold work on them, how she had managed to reveal it and the effect it would have had. Having just done a course on Lorenzo de Medici I was fascinated her theory that they were painted as part of the furniture for the new palace that his father Piero.

I have seen the show since so will save comment on the works in it for that post. This talk certainly enhanced by understanding and enjoyment of it.

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