Confirmation of the Carmelite Rule 1432

Filippo Lippi painted this fresco, Confirmation of the Carmelite Rule, directly onto a plaster wall. Fresco is an unforgiving medium. The artist has to work quickly, applying pigment to wet plaster before it dries. This demands a real mastery of the craft, with careful preparation of the surface and the pigments, ground from minerals and mixed with water. The quick pace favours bold, confident brushstrokes. Lippi’s lines are indeed fluid and light. The colors, though now faded, were originally luminous, thanks to the way fresco binds pigment into the wall itself. This permanence was essential for a mural meant to convey the enduring values of the Carmelite order. It’s interesting to reflect on the labor involved, from the quarrying of the limestone to the grinding of the pigments, all of which reflect a pre-industrial economy, where skill and physical work were paramount. Looking closely at the fresco, we start to appreciate the extraordinary craftsmanship that went into its making, and its connection to the social and economic conditions of its time.