Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Il Volto Santo di Sansepolcro


This very old crucifix hangs in the cathedral in Sansepolcro. After seeing it on a tour led by our guide Rohaise, I revisited the Volto Santo a number of times during my stay, showing it to a number of friends. He has a large, wise and slighly sad face, long arms and fingers, and he is made of wood. In the Museo Civico, you can see the crown and robe the townspeople used to dress him in once a year, when he would be used in a procession.

In this picture, I am holding a card depicting Il Volto Santo. To my right is Simon, who gave it to me. To my left are Stephanie, Bill, Roseanne, Martin, Bob and Kathy. We are standing on the sidewalk in Anghiari.

6 comments:

  1. do you happen to know what the specific type of clothing he is wearing is called? I'm doing an assignment for my college art appreciation class and would really appreciate your input!

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  2. I must be in the same class. looking forward to reply!

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  3. A friend familiar with the statue says "He's wearing a tunica manicata which means a sleeved tunic, something traditionally worn by a priest." Hope that helps!

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  4. It's not tunica manicata.
    Here's the answer:
    "The robe is a type known as a podere and is related to a type of robe known as a colobium."

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  5. thanks so much! I appreciate it. and yes, to the anonymous above, you mentioned this today in class and i laughed because I was the one who asked haha

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