Tabernacle of the Condemned 1466

Benozzo Gozzoli created this fresco, entitled *Tabernacle of the Condemned*, using the ‘buon fresco’ technique: painting directly onto wet plaster so that the colors become bound into the wall as it dries. The image appears as if from another world, a divine vision. The making process gives it that distinctive visual texture, a subtle cloudiness that softens the depicted biblical scene. Gozzoli worked in the tradition of mural painting, a significant component of design and architecture in the Renaissance. As such, he would have considered not only aesthetic and artistic choices, but also the practicalities of scale, durability, and the harmony of the painting with its surroundings. Although there are few records of Gozzoli’s workshop, we can assume he had assistants who mixed pigments and prepared plaster, because ‘buon fresco’ is incredibly demanding. The sheer labor involved in creating this work lends it a special gravitas, defying any separation between concept and execution, or art and craft.