Un inaspettato episodio del Trecento nel Piceno. Il ciclo della Passione nel 'cappellone' di Santa Vittoria in Matenano

In the church of the Resurrection in Santa Vittoria in Matenano, in the Piceno area, are several little-known 14th centur y frescoes discovered during a restoration in the early 1980s. A Descent from the cross in the south wall of the ancient burial area and an Entombment of Christ and a Harrowing of Hell in the west wall were part of larger cycle of the Passion of Jesus. This article discusses the stylistic features of these frescoes, previously dated to the first half of 15th century, and it demonstrates how they can be considered not far from the works by Mello da Gubbio, a painter active among 1320 and 1360 especially between Cagli, Fabriano and his hometown. For long time he has been confused with the unknown painter Guiduccio Palmerucci, but the signature of Mello in the Madonna in Glory with Angels now housed in the Museo Diocesano in Gubbio allowed to reconstruct his catalogue. Mello was a pupil of Pietro Lorenzetti and maybe he worked with him in the Lower Basilica in Saint Francis of Assisi between 1319 and 1322. According to these reasons, the frescoes of Santa Vittoria in Matenano could also explain some influences from Assisi in the 14th century painting of the Piceno area.