Girolamo Marinelli and the Lost Art of Gabbiano Vecchio

While Italy has its share of economic, political and social concerns, it faces an additional challenge of importance to the international community. It is home to much of the world's great art, and the cost of preserving, restoring and even identifying all of its treasures is prohibitively expensive. What is being saved is priceless, as is some of what is being lost, as those responsible for Italy's treasures are forced to prioritize and do their best with limited resources.
This post is about some frescos in rural Umbrian that will soon disappear, and the artist who may have painted them. I've posted in the past about the ghost town of Gabbiano Vecchio, found in an area of dense forest growth on Mount Subasio. One of its few remaining structures is the tiny Church of Saint Anthony. The church is dilapidated. It's roof is literally falling in.

Other than the obvious condition of the church, and a bit of the history of the settlement, I know little with certainty about Gabbiano Vecchio, but have a theory regarding its frescos, likely the work of a 17th Century artist.

While these frescos may be considered good rather than great art, they probably served their intended purpose well of inspiring devotion among church visitors at a time when literacy was limited and education was aided through words and pictures.
Recently I saw for the first time, in the small restored Church of Santa Croce, by the Tescio River below Assisi, on the opposite side of Mount Subasio, a work that looked familiar. It is called the Crucifixion with Saint Helen and Saint Catherine and it is attributed to a 17th Century artist name Girolamo Marinelli.

There are other works by Marinelli in Assisi, including one behind the altar in the Chapel of Saint Agnes in the Basilica of Saint Clare. The Marinelli work below, apparently restored, can be seen on the main walkway between Assisi's two basilicas.

If you haven't already observed some of the many similarities between the Gabbiano Vecchio frescos and the latter two works, look more closely at the angels in the clouds.

Did Marinelli paint the Gabbiano Vecchio frescos? Perhaps a definite answer lies in an old manuscript buried away in the archives of Assisi, Spello or some other Umbrian town. By the time it is found, the frescos in the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio in Gabbiano Vecchio likely will be beyond repair, perhaps in a pile of rubble.
Even if authorities could identify them with certainty today, they would probably end up on a long list of treasures waiting to be restored, not close enough to the top to be saved in time. It's unfortunate, as when observed up close, they are quite beautiful.

Ciao.