The ''Perugia Altarpiece'' (Italian: ''Pala di Perugia'') is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance painter

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

, housed in the

Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria (English: National Gallery of Umbria) the Italian national paintings collection of Umbria, housed in the Palazzo dei Priori, Perugia, in central Italy. Located on the upper floors of the Palazzo dei Priori, the ex ...

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...

, Italy.

History

The painting was executed for the St. Nicholas Chapel in the Basilica of San Domenico, Perugia. In the early 19th century, it was split and partially dispersed, and some of the predella panels were acquired by the

Pinacoteca Vaticana The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

. In Perugia were executed copies of these panels, enclosed into a neo-Gothic frame. The

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a painting (usually panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Specifically, a "diptych" is a two-part work of art; a " triptych" is a three-part work; a tetrapt ...

also included some small depictions of saints, on the side piers, and two tondoes with the ''Annunciation Angel'' and the ''Annunciation'', in the cusps. The Perugia Altarpiece, Side Panel Depicting St

The Perugia Altarpiece, Side Panel Depicting St

Description

The work includes a large central panel, depicting the ''Madonna Enthroned with Child and Angels'', which was fully painted by Fra Angelico. The two side panels, each forming two arched sub-panels and including a figure of saint. On the left are St. Dominic and

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

, attributed to Angelico, while on the right are St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria, considered to be mostly by his workshop. The central Madonna is a ''

Maestà Maestà , the Italian word for "majesty", designates a classification of images of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, the designation generally implying accompaniment by angels, saints, or both. The ''Maestà'' is an extension of the "Se ...

'' depiction, and sits on a large throne painted using

geometric perspective Linear or point-projection perspective (from la, perspicere 'to see through') is one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts; the other is parallel projection. Linear perspective is an approximate representation, ...

. In front of her is a step with vases housing three white and red roses (symbolic of the Virgin's purity and a forecast of Christ's Passion, respectively). The panel resembles that in the Cortona Triptych, especially for the Madonna, the throne's arch and the placement of the angels. The pavement is decorated with marble tarsia, already used by Fra Angelico in earlier works such as the San Pietro Martire Triptych (1428–1429). The saint's figures are less monumental than in the later Tabernacle of the Lanaioli (1433–1435). Behind them is a table, covered by a brocade drape decorated in gold, over which is St. Nicholas'

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

. The predella panels portray scenes of the ''Life of St. Nicholas''.

References

Sources

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{{Fra Angelico Paintings by Fra Angelico 1430s paintings Collections of the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria Paintings of the Madonna and Child Paintings depicting John the Baptist Altarpieces Paintings on gold backgrounds Books in art