Hecate (the Moon) 1545

Francesco de' Rossi, known as Salviati, painted this fresco of Hecate, the Moon, sometime in the mid-16th century. Fresco is a demanding medium: pigments are applied to wet plaster, and as it dries, the color is permanently bound in. It requires great skill and speed, as the artist only has a limited time to work before the plaster sets. The image of Hecate, complete with her attribute of a snake, is rendered with careful attention to the play of light on her body. Vine leaves curl around the rectangular frame, also realized in fresco, with trompe l'oeil effect. The frame's layered construction, achieved solely through the application of pigment, further showcases the artist's mastery of the medium. Salviati was a leading artist of the High Renaissance. The technique of fresco was well established by his time; this was not industrial production, exactly, but a highly efficient and specialized form of artistic labor. The controlled application of materials and refined technique reminds us that even seemingly effortless beauty is built on craft.