Treasures of Prato
Every town and city in Italy has its own history and its own cultural and artistic heritage. Through this exhibition of approximately 55 paintings, including delicate tempera on wood panels and other works of art, dating from the 1300s to the 1700s, the rich and unique artistic patrimony of Prato is revealed.
Since 1174 when the sacred reliquary of the “Cintola” was bestowed, the history and prosperity of Prato has been influenced by the faith that the town and its people enjoyed divine protection. This special relationship between the city, saints and sanctuaries has been the source of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, but reached sublime levels of expression in the early Renaissance school of Filippo Lippi whose influence can also be seen in the masterpieces of subsequent Medici Renaissance painters and represented in this exhibition by Santi di Tito, Giovanni Stradano, Mattia Preti, Cristofano Allori and others.
Rarely is such a collection of important works of art, rich in color and detail, permitted to travel, thus offering a public abroad, a very special opportunity to admire and appreciate the pageant of Renaissance history as it unfolded in Prato.