The Curse of Ham (After Benozzo Gozzoli) - Fratelli Alinari

A nineteenth-century albumen print by Fratelli Alinari documenting Benozzo Gozzoli's fresco, The Curse of Ham, located in the Camposanto of Pisa.

This albumen silver print by the Fratelli Alinari firm captures the fresco cycle within the Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa. The original work, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli between 1468 and 1484, depicts the biblical narrative of the Curse of Ham. The Alinari brothers, pioneers of Italian photography, documented these monumental wall paintings during the nineteenth century, providing a record of the frescoes before the extensive damage sustained during the Second World War.

The composition reflects the narrative complexity typical of Gozzoli. The scene is divided into distinct zones, featuring architectural elements such as loggias and classical structures that frame the figures. The narrative unfolds across a wide, multi-layered space, incorporating figures in contemporary fifteenth-century dress alongside biblical characters. The Alinari photograph captures the tonal range of the original pigment, preserving the spatial depth and the specific arrangement of the figures against the backdrop of the Pisan landscape.

As a photographic document, this print serves as an archival record of the Camposanto interior. The lower portion of the image includes the physical environment of the cemetery, showing stone sarcophagi and architectural fragments positioned beneath the fresco. This context provides a sense of scale and location, grounding the ethereal nature of the painted narrative within the physical reality of the historic site. The print demonstrates the technical precision of the Alinari studio, which sought to translate the visual information of large-scale mural painting into the medium of photography. It remains a primary source for the study of Gozzoli's work, offering a view of the fresco's condition during the late nineteenth century.