Museo delle Sinopie del Camposanto monumentale, Art museum in Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy
The museum houses preliminary drawings for wall frescoes in a 13th-century building located on Piazza dei Miracoli near the Leaning Tower. The exhibited sketches come from Italian masters and show the preparation phase for large-scale fresco compositions.
The building was constructed in the 13th century as part of the cemetery complex beside the cathedral, then suffered damage during World War II. After restoration work in the 1970s, it reopened as a museum displaying the recovered preparatory drawings.
The collection reveals how medieval artists prepared their work through preliminary sketches hidden beneath finished frescoes. These drawings show the creative process of masters from that era and how they organized their compositions before applying paint.
The museum occupies the long brick pavilion closing the south side of Piazza del Duomo, where one of the complex's two ticket offices stands. Inside, stairs and a lift tower connect the levels, and the main hall opens onto the square through a large glazed vault. The sinopie hang in bands behind a low railing, with two multimedia rooms beyond.
The drawings became visible only when restorers removed the damaged wall paintings, revealing the red chalk sketches hidden underneath. These concealed lines show how artists prepared the positions and outlines of their compositions.
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