Description

The peculiarity of this painting by Silvia Salvadori lies in the use of precious gems (sapphire, emerald, amber, coral, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, ruby ​​and pearls), the same ones described in John's Apocalypse and set directly on the golden surface. Remarkable is the rendering of the effects of light and shadow expertly recreated by Silvia in the drapery of the finely embroidered and engraved fabric on pure gold. Every detail of the painting is intended to be a tribute to medieval goldsmiths and the millenary goldsmith tradition of Arezzo. The figure is defined through a delicate linear outline. Rhythmic and flowing curves make the drapery light and elegant. Finally, the stylistic decorativism typical of medieval and early Renaissance painting is also found in the natural details such as the leaves and in the fruit of the pomegranate.

The Lady with the Chessboard was entirely made by carefully following each step described in Cennino Cennini's Book of Art. The gilding is also done with the gouache technique on gold, spread over an original Armenian bolus bed. The pigments used for the execution of the painting are all pure and original pigments. In particular, the same pigments of Piero della Francesca's palette were used for this painting. The azurite, for example, which was often used for the skies was used on the quadrants of the chessboard. The egg yolk tempera technique is distinguished from other painting techniques for the extraordinary brightness that it manages to emanate both on the complexions and on the plastic rendering of the drapery and it is for this particular aspect that it was used and handed down until the end of the 1500s.