The Frari Triptych or Pesaro Triptych is a 1488 oil on panel

triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divide ...

painting by

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his fath ...

. It is signed and dated 1488 on the centre of the Virgin Mary's throne, though it may have taken several years to produce, meaning he started it in 1485. On the reverse is a label dating its completion more precisely, to 15 February 1488. It is in the basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. Its central scene is the Madonna and Child enthroned with two angel musicians, flanked to the left by

saint Nicholas of Bari 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 ...

and

saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupa ...

and to the right by

saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

(patron of Venice) and

saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orient ...

. The work's division into compartments is rather old-fashioned and may have been explicitly demanded by the commissioner, but Bellini uses this to his advantage, integrating the painted architecture with the frame, which he designed himself. This develops the illusionism of his San Giobbe Altarpiece, again placing the Virgin in a deep blue mantle on a high marble throne, using a golden light and a Byzanto-Venetian-style apse. To the sides thin strips of landscape suggest a vast space behind the work, whilst the ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' apse behind the Virgin bears an inscription reading IANUA CERTA POLI DUC MENTEM DIRIGE VITAM: QUAE PERAGAM COMMISSA TUAE SINT OMNIA CURAE ("Certain gate of heaven, guide ymind, direct ylife: may everything I do be entrusted to your care"). Rona Goffen, ''Devozione e committenza. Bellini, Tiziano e i Frari'' 986 Marsilio, Venezia 1991.

Gallery

Frari (Venice) - Sacristy - triptych by Giovanni Bellini - The Vigrine and Child.jpg, Central panel Trittico dei frari 09.jpg, Angel Trittico dei frari 10.jpg, Angel Frari (Venice) - Sacristy - triptych by Giovanni Bellini - Saint Benedict of Nursia and Saint Mark.jpg, Right hand panel

References

{{Giovanni Bellini Paintings by Giovanni Bellini 1488 paintings Triptychs Angels in art Paintings of the Madonna and Child Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari