An underdrawing for a fresco that is rendered in red earth mixed with water. Examples of sinopie that have been revealed during restorations are those now housed in the Papal Palace in Avignon for frescoes commissioned from Simone Martini by Cardinal Jacopo Stefaneschi in the 1340s in the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Doms. They represent a Blessing Christ and a Madonna of Humility. The sinopie for the Triumph of Death (1330s) in the Campo Santo, Pisa, were also revealed during restorations after the fresco was badly damaged during World War II. Attributed to Francesco Traini, the sinopie were rendered more spontaneously than the final fresco, giving these underdrawings a robust, energetic flavor. A final example is the sinopia for Andrea del Castagno's Resurrection (1447), which has also been detached from the wall and is now exhibited alongside the corresponding fresco in the refectory of the Monastery of Sant' Apollonia, Florence.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.