Deruta history: The Plagues

A detail of the fresco with the writing:

“DECRETO PUBLICO DE(R)UTA ANNO DNI MCCCCLXXV(II/III)"
(tr.public decree of the town of Deruta in the A.D. 1477-1478).

The last plague devastating Deruta in the second half of the 15th century dated back to 1476. The Deruta community celebrated the end of the sufferings with the order of a votive offering (ex voto) to the artist Pietro Perugino in 1477-1478 and portraying the Saints protectors Rocco and Romano, which are considered as anti-pestiferous.

The artwork is a fresco which has been in the Church of Saint Francis until recent times, when it has been detached and transported to the Deruta Painting Gallery. A beautiful band in the fresco portraits the landscape of the town of Deruta (see photo). 

It is also part of the recent history of Deruta the attribution of the fresco to Pietro Vannucci, known as "Perugino" by Professor Pietro Scarpellini, leading expert of Perugino's art and life and great professor of the University of Perugia. The painting was formerly ascribed to artist Fiorenzo di Lorenzo.

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Professor Pietro Scarpellini passed away in 2010 at the age of 83. He has been one of the most important scholars of the town and of the University of Perugia. He was my professor of Medieval and Modern Art. 

A famous witch from Deruta: La Strega Matteuccia

Deruta has got several satellite villages in its territory that belong to its Municipality. One of them is the village of Ripabianca, famous for its ceramics large oil containers and planters, which are made of unpainted sealed bisqueware.

One of its citizens in the Renaissance was the witch Matteuccia, who unfortunately for her was born in the wrong times and was burned in the main square of Todi in 1428.

Witches of modern times

She was a famous sorceress at that time and had a large clientele from all over the places, because she was well known for her healing remedies based on herbs and enchanted potions.

Twelve days after Christmas in Italy, on January 6th we celebrate the Epiphany which is  both a religious and a pagan holiday.  On behalf of the secular side of the holiday on this day witches called "Befana" are all over Italy to forward gifts to children. 

The Epiphany is the last holiday of the calendar before Easter, which gives the start to the new season of holidays and solemnities, starting  the new cycle of life with the rebirth of nature through springtime. 

Life, nature, seasons and human relationships are common fonts of the religious and of the pagan holidays which run parallel in Italy. The most beautiful number the two celebrations of life have in common is the sacred number 12 (i.e. twelve apostles, 12 months, 12 days, 12 stars crowning the Virgin Mary in the book of the Apocalypse).

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Ripabianca is now under the territory of Deruta and as a consequence under the district of Perugia but in the Renaissance this village was under the district  of the town of Todi.

Curiosity:
The most recent movie about witches has been released this year starring Nicholas Cage, Cama customer since 1993. The title of the movie is "Season of the witch". The movie gives us an idea of what the world looked like in the 1400s with impending plagues.

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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