Lecture: "Piero’s Landscapes"

The landscapes in Piero Della Francesca's paintings, particularly his Baptism of Christ (National Gallery, London), are often thought to recall the area around his hometown of Borgo San Sepolcro. In truth, they evoke the upper Tiber Valley without describing it precisely. But what did it mean to locate sacred scenes in a recognizable and local setting? Did that landscape carry any connotations for the fifteenth-century residents of Borgo San Sepolcro that might be lost to us today? Let's find out.