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Italian masterpiece recreated in Bay Area home
A Lakewood Ranch woman’s passion for Italian art drove her to hire an artist straight from Italy to paint Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Annunciation’ on the ceiling of her home.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - Lakewood Ranch resident Mary Ann Cricchio loves all things Italian.
"I visited the Uffizi, and I just found myself staying in the Leonardo da Vinci room and was really captured by the emotion in the painting the ’Annunciation.' I wanted that recreated on the ceiling of my great room," explained Cricchio.
As the owner of Da Mimmo Tours, she spends half of her year in Italy and used those contacts to find an artist who not only had the experience to paint such a work of art on her ceiling, but the artistic background and creative ability to do it well.
"I am very lucky to have Maestro Luca Mancini visiting me from Italy and recreating Leonardo da Vinci's the 'Annunciation' on the ceiling of my great room," she exclaimed. "It's such a rarity to find an artist who can do that in this day and age."
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Maestro Mancini has been painting since the age of 12 and has worked extensively in restorations of the works of the Italian masters.
Through an interpreter, the artist told FOX 13, "I'm very fortunate that the site is horizontal, it allows me to do the most honor of reproducing da Vinci's work... This is obviously for those of the Catholic faith, a tremendous moment of Jesus Christ's arrival to this world."
With every brushstroke, Cricchio's love of da Vinci's artwork was coming to life there in her home. Mancini's attention to detail was clearly evident as he spent more than a month painting the ceiling.
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"Above all, what is important, is that I am bringing to life the work of a great artist in Leonard da Vinci," he stated through his interpreter.
That is why Cricchio brought him to the United States to recreate the masterpiece.
"He is one of the last people that really can do this," she said.
Links:
To see the original art "The Annunciation," visit the Uffizi website at https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/annunciation.
You can see more of Maestro Luca Mancini’s artwork and projects by visiting https://www.manciniluca.it/.