The ''Barbadori Altarpiece'' is a

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Some definitions restrict "polyptych" to works with more than three sections: a diptych is ...

painting by

Filippo Lippi Filippo Lippi ( – 8 October 1469), also known as Lippo Lippi, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Quattrocento (fifteenth century) and a Carmelite priest. He was an early Renaissance master of a painting workshop, who taught many paint ...

, commissioned in 1437 and completed in 1438. It consists of a main panel followed by a

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

. The main panel, ''Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels with St. Frediano and St. Augustine'', is a

sacra conversazione In art, a (; plural: ''sacre conversazioni''), meaning "holy (or sacred) conversation", is a genre developed in Italian Renaissance painting, with a depiction of the Virgin and Child (the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus) amidst a group of sain ...

that contains flow between each figure to depict a coronation.

History

Gherardo di Bartolomeo Barbadori was a wealthy man who belonged to the confraternity of

Orsanmichele Orsanmichele or Orsammichele (; from the Tuscan contraction of ''Orto di San Michele'', "Kitchen Garden of St. Michael") is a church in the Italian city of Florence. The building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monaster ...

. In 1429, he died childless and left his wealth to the Captains of Orsanmichele. In his will he requested they build a chapel or altar in a church of their choice in Florence. His tomb was to be placed right below it and for Mass to be held. In 1437,

was offered 40 florins to create an altarpiece at the Santo Spirito, dedicated to

Saint Fridianus Fridianus (, also Frigidanus, Frigidian, Frigianu), was an Ireland, Irish prince and hermit, fl. 6th century. Tradition names him as a son of King Ultach of Ulster. He later migrated to Italy, where he was appointed as Bishop of Lucca. The Basili ...

. The money was given as an allowance towards the materials for the artwork. Lippi did not earn much as profit from this piece. By the first of April in 1438,

Domenico Veneziano Domenico Veneziano (c. 1410 – May 15, 1461) was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active mostly in Perugia and Tuscany. Little is known of his birth, though he is thought to have been born in Venice, hence his last name. He then move ...

wrote a letter to Piero de' Medici claiming the altarpiece as having not been finished yet. However, he was writing from Perugia so it was more likely the information was not up to date. The first Mass was also not served until August 1439. In 1810, the painting was disassembled and brought back to France by Napoleonic troops to repress religious guilds. After the 1815 restoration, it was not given back and is now housed in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Description

The panel follows the traditional

format only in the upper part, where the arches divide the composition into different sections, like how different panels would be used in a traditional polyptych. Differently from previous works, Lippi painted the Virgin as standing, and made her the central point of the composition. The Virgin is seen in a

contrapposto ( 'counterpoise'), in the visual arts, is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane. First appearing in Ancient Greece in the early 5th ...

pose with a belt attaching her baby,

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, to her side. The size and placement of the figures is to show hierarchical importance. To achieve this, he experimented with depth of field by inserting items or people in the foreground and background. Child_holding_fabric

The kneeling saints are

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

on the right and St. Fridianus on the left. On the far left is a self-portrait of Lippi, identified as the young monk behind the

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

. He appears detached from the scene by keeping his eyes directly on the viewer. It is painted as a reminder to continue the focus on the sacred scene. It is said to also be reflection of Lippi fighting his own temptations or how he left the Carmelite in an untraditional fashion. Filippo Lippi made some alterations to the altarpiece as the process continued, as seen by the faint fabric seen to the right of the work. He tested the boundaries of frame by creating architectural pieces that appear unstructured.

Baluster A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s were added after he had completed some of the architectural elements to enhance the relationship between the figure and the viewer. There is a stylized fabric constructed in a drooping fashion that is seen being held between two children. The lines lead the viewer back to the center of the image where the Virgin and her son stand. The visibility of the material is faint as it was later replaced by columns on the left and right to increase depth of field. The lack of

gesso A restored gesso panel representing St. Martin of Tours, from St. Michael and All Angels Church, Lyndhurst, Hampshire Gesso (; 'chalk', from the , from ), also known as "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso", is a white paint mixture used to coat rigi ...

incisions suggests that he wanted to wait to see the full potential of the work as a whole. The body of work strays away from the illusion of a window entering a three-dimensional world. To achieve this, Lippi places the columns out of alignment to the arch of the frame. The detachment draws the viewer back to the figures by covering the bottom of the posts with the two kneeling saints. This also allowed for the frame to be taken away from the artwork and it not affect the meaning of the work. Located at the bottom of the painting, there appears to be a rectangular shadow. The hollow space is said to be a tomb shaped pit. It is possible Lippi was paying homage to the patron, Gherardo di Bartolomeo Barbadori.

Influence

To the left of the painting, an angel is seen holding up the bottom of his attire. This figure is inspired by Quattro Santi Coronati by Nanni di Banco. It is a triple figure sculpture piece in a shell-shaped niched of the Orsanmichele.

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

introduced the idea of an architectural space that did not include gold. Instead it was given an opening to that resembled 15th century Flemish contemporary works and mimics Tribunale of the Mercanzie by

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...

. The landscape opening allows for it to be less spiritual and more slightly more humanizing. The room has a singular window, creating an uneven objective weight. This style derived from contemporary

Flemish painting Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century, gradually becoming distinct from the painting of the rest of the Low Countries, especially the modern Netherlands. In the early period, up to about 1520, the painti ...

s which relate to followers of Christ. Depictions of the figures contain features similar to that of a late Gothic approach in the 1430s. However, there are more distinguishable characteristics on the individuals than that of Gothic style.

Masaccio Masaccio (, ; ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great List of Italian painters, Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaiss ...

was one of the artists to guide Lippi's work towards a more statuesque style.

Predella

The work was originally accompanied by a

, which was returned to Florence after the fall of Napoleon and is now housed in the

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of ...

. The original predella included three panels depicting ''St. Fridianus Changing the Course of the

Serchio The Serchio (; ) is the third longest river in the Italian region of Tuscany at , coming after the Arno at and the Ombrone, . By mean rate of flow, it is the second largest, smaller than Arno but larger than Ombrone. The principal source forms ...

'', ''Annunciation of the Death of the Virgin and Arrival of the Apostles,'' and ''St. Augustine's Vision of the Holy Spirit.'' In his will, the patron requested to have St. Fridianus honored through an altar or chapel. The saint was admired for his dedication to God and restoring peoples faith. Thus, S''t. Fridianus Changing the Course of the

'' was placed to the left of the predella. The scene depicted a story of the saint saving a neighboring town from the floods of the River Serchio. The painting discusses the power of faith and prayer. The central predella is a combination of two events, the ''Annunciation of the Death of the Virgin and Arrival of the Apostles.'' It is a reflection of the Orsanmichele's duty of preparing someone for their final moments through sacraments.

Predella of the ''Barbadori Altarpiece''

Condition

The work has a yellow varnish that accentuates the cracked paint. There are also two centimeters of cracks that appear on both sides of the panels that are a sign of restoration. The Virgin and St. Fridianus's faces in particular show aging in their color.

Notes

References

External links

Page about the painting
{{Authority control 1438 paintings Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Filippo Lippi Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists Altarpieces Paintings of Augustine of Hippo