Head of Christ (fragment of a crucifix) by Lando di Pietro / bomb
In January 1944, this 14th-century sculpture - a life-sized crucifix carved from walnut and painted in polychrome - was almost entirely destroyed while on view at the Basilica di San Bernardino all’Osservanza in Siena, Italy.
Originally produced in 1338 as a gift for a Sienese religious confraternity, the work had hung above the church's altar for nearly six centuries before an Allied bombing raid devastated the Basilica and its holdings. (As it turned out, the bombers had actually meant to strike a nearby train station, where munitions routinely journeyed on their way to Mussolini’s troops - but they missed, hitting the church instead.)
Only a handful of fragments from the crucifix survived the attack, including one knee and, most notably, Christ's severed head, which was nearly split in two, now missing the lower jaw and bearing a dramatic vertical split running down the center of the forehead.
The damage was severe - but with it came a revelation: In the aftermath, scraps of parchment were discovered, hidden inside the figure's skull. They had been placed there by the work's creator, Lando di Pietro, and featured an inscription in which he identified himself as the author and prayed to God for the world's health and "mercy on all generations." He also reminded viewers that, despite the lifelike qualities of his work, their devotion should be directed not toward the wooden image itself, but toward God.
Di Pietro was best known as a goldsmith and architect, so had the crucifix survived intact, its authorship - and the fuller picture of Di Pietro's artistic practice - would likely have remained a mystery.