Sassetta's Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece, reconstructed

Sixty paintings once adorned the altarpiece of a Franciscan church in the small Tuscan town of Borgo San Sepolcro. View illustrations from the modern-day reconstruction.

Sassetta: The Borgo San Sepolcro Altarpiece, a new book edited by art historian and Villa I Tatti fellow Machtelt Israëls, details the reconstruction of a "lost" Italian Renaissance altarpiece. Below, view images from the recent virtual restoration. To read more, see the main article, "Masterpiece Pieces."

Reconstruction of Sassetta’s Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece, front view.

Reconstruction of Sassetta’s Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece, oblique front view with its full piers, altar, and altar steps.

Reconstruction of Sassetta’s Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece, back view.

Reconstruction of Sassetta’s Borgo San Sepolcro altarpiece, oblique back view with its full piers, altar, and altar steps.

 

Credit for all images: Reconstruction by Machtelt Israëls, James R. Banker, Roberto Bellucci, Rachel Billinge, George Bisacca, Ciro Castelli, Cecilia Frosinini, Christa Gardner von Teuffel, Babette Hartwieg, Elisabeth Ravaud, Andrea Santacesaria, Carl Brandon Strehlke, Dominique Thiébaut, Serena Urry et al. Three-dimensional drawing by Andrea Santacesaria, Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence. Rendering by Giacomo Tenti, Culturanuova, Arezzo. © Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.

Related topics

You might also like

This TikTok Artist Combines Monsters and Mental Heath

Ava Jinying Salzman’s artwork helps people process difficult feelings.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

Rachel Ruysch’s Lush (Still) Life

Now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Dutch painter’s art proved a treasure trove for scientists.

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

Two bare-knuckle boxers fight in a ring, surrounded by onlookers in 19th-century attire.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

Four young people sitting around a table playing a card game, with a chalkboard in the background.

On Weekends, These Harvard Math Professors Teach the Smaller Set

At Cambridge Math Circle, faculty and alumni share puzzles, riddles, and joy.

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.