Il Restauro dell’Ipogeo Txakurreo
Solo exhibition, 2022
TAM Museum, Matera (Italy)
Curated by Mauro Acito
Solo exhibition, 2022
TAM Museum, Matera (Italy)
Curated by Mauro Acito
For centuries the frescoes of the Tkakurra Hypogeum have been hidden and concealed by numerous layers of plaster.
The incredible cycle of works, dated 1248-1250 AD, came to light again in 2018, during the restoration works of the Torre
del Capone spaces in Matera. The delicate restoration was entrusted to the CANEMORTO trio, a group of artists and historians who gave new life to the cycle of frescoes, transforming it into an
innovative work of artistic restoration. The crypt looks like an irregularly shaped hall which was originally connected to the
base of the entirely frescoed tower. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, the cycle of paintings was completely covered; later part of the niche was irreparably destroyed
as the tower was filled with debris. The presence of a flue indicates that in the following centuries the crypt was used
as a rudimentary kitchen, further damaging the room with the opening of doors and windows.
The cycle of works presents a distinctly different stylistic code from the contemporary Lucan frescoes; from a careful analysis it appears that the mural painting was executed simultaneously by three different authors, whose provenance is unknown. The votive niche of the southern wall represents the fulcrum of the entire hypogeum: in it there is portrayed a dog-like divinity known as Txakurra. The three authors of the fresco were undoubtedly devoted to the cult of this zoomorphic spirit, since the niche was intended to house candles, offerings and divinatory objects. According to the most accredited sources, the Txakurrean religion has its roots in the figure of “Kozo”, a mysterious fetish in the form of a dog, which connects the world of the living with that of the dead, present in many religions of central Africa, from which it probably derives also the well-known “Cerberus” of Greek mythology.
It is suspected that, once completed, the cycle of frescoes was not appreciated by the patrons; probably because of the votive niche, the bestiary and the derogatory depiction of San Giovanni da Matera, they publicly accused the three authors of paganism, who had to flee to avoid being condemned to the stake. Consequently, around 1250 AD, the entire pictorial cycle was covered with plaster and hidden from view.
The two massive tuff statues, dated 1248-1250 AD, were discovered in 2018, during the restoration works of the museum spaces. The first was found in the internal garden of the tower, buried underground, following the cleaning of the area overgrown with vegetation. The second statue was later found, hidden inside the ancient medieval well in the entrance courtyard adjacent to the hypogeum. Data indicate that the two sculptures were hurriedly buried at the beginning of the 14th century, in the same period in which the frescoes in the crypt were covered up.
The current position of the giants reflects their original arrangement: the room was in fact the place where guests and visitors were received by the owners of the tower, prostrating themselves before them. According to local customs, two large sculptural portraits of the lord and his wife, dressed in warfare, were usually placed in these rooms to symbolize their power and inspire fear. The two statues, undoubtedly made by the three foreign artists responsible for the fresco, present a style that differs significantly from the Lucan statuary, characterized by more realistic features; the giants, on the other hand, have primitive traits and unnatural deformations (such as enormous hands) much closer to the African sculptural tradition. It can therefore be assumed that the features of the sculptures were not appreciated by the clients, who decided to hide them. Probably due to their significant weight, it was preferred to bury them on site rather than have them taken away. The innovative restoration, supervised by the CANEMORTO trio, has made it possible to bring the statues back to their original splendour.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO
Filmed and edited by Matteo Berardone
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Voice over by Cosimo Frascella
Photographs by Jietsen Velasco
The cycle of works presents a distinctly different stylistic code from the contemporary Lucan frescoes; from a careful analysis it appears that the mural painting was executed simultaneously by three different authors, whose provenance is unknown. The votive niche of the southern wall represents the fulcrum of the entire hypogeum: in it there is portrayed a dog-like divinity known as Txakurra. The three authors of the fresco were undoubtedly devoted to the cult of this zoomorphic spirit, since the niche was intended to house candles, offerings and divinatory objects. According to the most accredited sources, the Txakurrean religion has its roots in the figure of “Kozo”, a mysterious fetish in the form of a dog, which connects the world of the living with that of the dead, present in many religions of central Africa, from which it probably derives also the well-known “Cerberus” of Greek mythology.
It is suspected that, once completed, the cycle of frescoes was not appreciated by the patrons; probably because of the votive niche, the bestiary and the derogatory depiction of San Giovanni da Matera, they publicly accused the three authors of paganism, who had to flee to avoid being condemned to the stake. Consequently, around 1250 AD, the entire pictorial cycle was covered with plaster and hidden from view.
The two massive tuff statues, dated 1248-1250 AD, were discovered in 2018, during the restoration works of the museum spaces. The first was found in the internal garden of the tower, buried underground, following the cleaning of the area overgrown with vegetation. The second statue was later found, hidden inside the ancient medieval well in the entrance courtyard adjacent to the hypogeum. Data indicate that the two sculptures were hurriedly buried at the beginning of the 14th century, in the same period in which the frescoes in the crypt were covered up.
The current position of the giants reflects their original arrangement: the room was in fact the place where guests and visitors were received by the owners of the tower, prostrating themselves before them. According to local customs, two large sculptural portraits of the lord and his wife, dressed in warfare, were usually placed in these rooms to symbolize their power and inspire fear. The two statues, undoubtedly made by the three foreign artists responsible for the fresco, present a style that differs significantly from the Lucan statuary, characterized by more realistic features; the giants, on the other hand, have primitive traits and unnatural deformations (such as enormous hands) much closer to the African sculptural tradition. It can therefore be assumed that the features of the sculptures were not appreciated by the clients, who decided to hide them. Probably due to their significant weight, it was preferred to bury them on site rather than have them taken away. The innovative restoration, supervised by the CANEMORTO trio, has made it possible to bring the statues back to their original splendour.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO
Filmed and edited by Matteo Berardone
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Voice over by Cosimo Frascella
Photographs by Jietsen Velasco
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