The Dei Altarpiece is an oil on panel painting by

Rosso Fiorentino Giovanni Battista di Jacopo (8 March 1495 – 14 November 1540), known as Rosso Fiorentino (meaning "Florentine Redhead" in Italian) or Il Rosso ("The Redhead"), was an Italian Mannerist painter who worked in oil and fresco Fresco ( or ...

, commissioned in 1509 by the Dei family and completed in 1522. It is now in Florence's

Galleria Palatina The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present pa ...

, whilst the

Uffizi 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 th ...

holds a preparatory drawing which may be the original idea for the work. Originally commissioned by Carlo Dei's son Ranieri to replace

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

's '' Madonna of the Baldacchino'' (left unfinished on his departure from Florence in 1508) as the altarpiece for the Dei family chapel in Santo Spirito, the work was praised for its lively colouring in Vasari's ''

Lives of the Artists ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' () is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, which is considered "perhaps the most famous, and even today the ...

''. Around the end of the 17th century it came to the attention of grand prince Ferdinando de' Medici who took it to the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

and had a copy made for the chapel. It was mentioned in the early 18th century Palazzo Pitti inventory with its original measurements. 50 cm was later added to all four of its sides and a gilded intaglio Baroque-style frame added, both of which were in place when Giuseppe Richa saw it in 1761. It takes inspiration from ''Madonna of the Baldacchino'', especially in the group of saints gathered around the Madonna and Child, all of them name-saints of the Dei family. They are usually identified as: *

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

(blue and yellow robe, with keys and a book) *

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

(white habit, kneeling on the steps) *

Rainerius Rainerius (''c''. 1115/1117 – 1160) is the patron saint of Pisa and patron saint of travellers. André Vauchez (1993) ''The Laity in the Middle Ages: Religious Beliefs and Devotional Practices'', Daniel E. Bornstein, ed., and Margery J. Sch ...

Augustine of Hippo 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 ...

(in bishop's vestments) *

Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invoke ...

James the Great James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...

Sebastian Sebastian may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century * Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...

(semi-nude, with arms tied behind his back) *

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

Maurice Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...

*seated female saint (the broken wheel and sword next to her are 18th century additions meant to link her to

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and Virginity, virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a ...

)

References

Bibliography (in Italian)

* Marco Chiarini, ''Galleria palatina e Appartamenti Reali'', Sillabe, Livorno 1998. *

Antonio Natali Antonio Natali (born 1951) is an Italian art historian, academic and museum director. Born in Piombino, he headed several departments at the Uffizi from 1981 onwards before becoming its director from 2006 until 2015. He and Carlo Falciani curated ...

, ''Rosso Fiorentino'', Silvana Editore, Milano 2006. * Elisabetta Marchetti Letta, ''Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino'', Scala, Firenze 1994.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dei Altarpiece 1522 paintings Paintings in the Galleria Palatina Paintings of the Madonna and Child Paintings of Saint Peter Paintings of Saint Sebastian Paintings of Saint Roch Paintings of Augustine of Hippo Paintings by Rosso Fiorentino