Brera mai vista continues to present to the public little-known paintings formerly held in the storerooms of the Milan Pinacoteca, by making them objects of study.
The Master of the Twelve Apostles was active in Ferrara in the first half of the sixteenth century. The panel with The Visitation by the Master, a work that has not been viewable for years, was carefully restored before going on show together with three works from the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Ferrara: two depicting the twelve apostles, and a Pentecost.
The introduction by Luisa Arrivino documents the research and restoration work carried out prior to the panel’s presentation. The main text is by Alessandra Pattanaro, who has combed sources and critiques to produce a monograph providing an intelligent, accurate portrait of the eccentric figure known as the Master of the Twelve Apostles, and documenting not only the works on display but also others, with the aim of defining his style.
The text is accompanied by images in colour and black & white, which illustrate the historical and artistic milieu, bring out the details of the paintings and describe the contexts in which they were executed. A bibliography completes the volume.