Cimabue

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Crucifix by Cimabue, 1288
Basilica of Santa Croce
Piazza di Santa Croce
Florence, October 2013

“The crucifix was installed in church of Santa Croce at the end of the thirteenth century and remained there until 1966, when the banks of the Arno river burst and flooded the Florence. Thousands of art works were damaged or destroyed, and the Crucifix–widely considered the most important piece affected by the flood–lost 60% of its paint. It had suffered earlier flood damage in 1333 and 1557. In 1966 it was on display in the lower Museo dell' Opera, closer to the waterline than it had been during earlier floods. The water level reached the height of Christ's nimbus, and when it retreated it took large tracts of paint with it. The water left the canvas stripped, with tiny specks of pigment floating around it (which were picked up with pliers by staff wading in the water after the torrents had subsided), and deposited oil, mud and naphtha on the wood frame.” (Crucifix by Cimabue, Santa Croce, Wikipedia)