Abstract

White pigments appear prominently in late medieval sources and were recommended for a range of artistic and non-artistic practices, such as treating facial marks or making cloths colourfast. The source of one such substance, called bianchetto, was Solfatara in Pozzuoli, a venerated site of the martyrdom of St. Gennaro, patron saint of Naples. This essay highlights the religious connotations of this pigment. Surviving and documented white devotional images provided spiritual reinforcement at home and in ecclesiastical areas. These devotional aids structured pious experiences of devotees through their chromatic subtlety, and as such they evoked senses other than sight, namely smell and touch.