Tiepolo fresco discovered

A fresco attributed to 18th century Italian painter Giandomenico Tiepolo has been discovered during the restoration of a church in Venice.

The work, measuring 11.8 feet by 5.25 feet, is painted on a moon-shaped lunette behind the main altar of the Santa Maria Maddalena church and was found about three months ago, said Ilaria Cavaggioni, an architect who made the discovery.

A research of archive documentation has led experts to believe that the fresco -- attributed to Tiepolo, son of the better-known painter Giambattista Tiepolo -- is one known as “La Fede” (“The Faith”) dating to 1794, Cavaggioni said.

“Technical tests on the lunette had shown traces of red and a halo,” Cavaggioni said. “When we removed most of the paint layers that were on the wall, decorations, including the face of a Madonna have appeared.”

The red monochromatic fresco portrays a Madonna with a cross in her right hand and a goblet in her left. Near her are two figures whose details are still unclear, Cavaggioni said Tuesday.

From Associated Press