War-Torn Tabernacoli Tuscany

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

On a recent weekend, I took some more painters out to my friend’s home in the countryside outside of Firenze, Italia. After a little walk around the vineyards and olive trees to get them acquainted with the landscape painting opportunities (and the fresh country air!), we ended up speaking with the neighbors here. There are multiple families nearby, but many of them are all related.

Bruno is in his 80s. He and his older brother Renato (who turns 90 years old this July 29th) grew up in their Tuscan “farm” during World War II. Bruno again brought out a picture he has of part of their family home at the time of the war. I had seen it before, but some things are worth doing more than once and my friends enjoyed the “live history.” These Italians seem to like me since I am American and they remember well that American soldiers stayed with them as they prepared to take back Firenze from the Germans. Bruno is in this first image as he shows off his bit of history to my friends.

We had asked about the tabernacle on the outside of the house. My friend Llewellyn is also interested in these. [Perhaps you will remember … or like to read … my art newsletter about the tabornacoli fiorentini that I wrote about some time ago.] Apparently, the original artwork in the tabernacle was a Della Robbia. This is a collective name for a historical family of ceramic artists and the studios are quite famous in these parts. The typically religious Della Robbias tend to be blue and white (white figures with blue glazed backgrounds), but not always. I must admit that they are not generally to my taste, but I have enjoyed some of them and their look is often easily distinguished from other terra-cotta or porcelain artwork of the time.

Bruno and Renato’s Della Robbia was bombed and destroyed during the war. Llewellyn is holding the image of the war-torn home, showing the tabernacle on the right. Later, the family commissioned a female artist with the last name Poggi (I believe), another well-known name in these parts, to create a new “Madonna and Child.” The last image is taken with the restored niche.

Happy Birthday, John Borsheim!

Tabernacoli Fiorentini Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

The other night some friends and I went to Hemingway’s in central Florence, near the Chiesa (Church) di Santa Maria del Carmine. It is known as one of the better chocolate places around. I thought I would indulge, but instead of chocolate, I got a mascarpone con fruitti di bosco (cheese and berry) crepe.

Afterwards on my way home, I again photographed one of the more attractive shrines one finds around bella Italia. I have been photographing the tabernacoli fiorentini for a few years now. I am not sure why I find them fascinating, but I suspect it is because there are so many and sometimes in unusual places that it makes me envision people just stopping in their tracks to pray.

The one I show you today is more elaborate than most because it has the double images. The painted terra-cotta bas relief of madonna and child was especially beautiful this night because of the fresh flowers someone had added. There was a sign there that listed the title and date (XIX for “Gesu’ Coronato di Spine), but my blurred photo in the night was too blurry for me to determine whether the artists’ names were included.

This tabernacle was restored in 1995 and apparently is still much beloved.

For more information, check out sites such as this one on tabernacoli fiorentini

Street Painting Madonnari - Florence, Italy

Cari Amici,

Just when I start to believe that street painting is a horrible way to help earn my living while in Florence, Italy, something charming happens while I am working. Yesterday, Monday (Memorial Day in the States, it turned out), I chose to re-create a “Madonna And Child” from 1742 by Italian artist Pompeo Batoni.



I spoke with many wonderful visitors and Florentines, and was amused when one man asked me, “If you are American, then why don’t you speak with me in English?” I responded, “Because you addressed me in Italian and also because I would like to improve my Italian language skills.”

Anyway, my friend Ernesto Brosa took these images of two charming girls who hung out with my street painting and me for a while. The first girl really enjoyed getting dirty as she colored-in the darks of the Madonna’s hand. I was happy that I still had some wet towels to help her clean up a bit afterwards. Her mother and brother watched the whole procedure. She was really cute.



The other girl was enjoying her gelato too much to want to get her hands dirty. She is from Leningrad and is perhaps another budding artist.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to recharge the batteria on my camera and it ran out of juice during Ernesto’s shooting. And so, if you happened to have been a tourist on this evening and took an image or two of my work that night, please send a copy to me. I have no images of the work before I washed her away around mezzanotte.

Grazie mille, for your interest and support.
Ciao, ciao,
Kelly