Novitiate Altarpiece on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The ''Novitiate Altarpiece'' or ''Madonna and Child with Saints'' is a c.1440-1445 tempera on panel painting by Filippo Lippi, now in the 
Entirely in Lippi's own hand, it was probably commissioned by
The ''Novitiate Altarpiece'' or ''Madonna and Child with Saints'' is a c.1440-1445 tempera on panel painting by Filippo Lippi, now in the Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located 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 ...
in Florence. A sacra conversazione, it originally had a predella painted by Pesellino centred on a ''Nativity''. The main panel shows Cosmas and Damian either side of the Madonna and Child, whilst Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christiani ...
is shown at far left and Anthony of Padua at far right. On an architectural frieze above the figures are the Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
's heraldic balls.
Entirely in Lippi's own hand, it was probably commissioned by Cosimo the Elder
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the House of Medici, Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived ...
, as suggested by the presence of Cosmas and Damian, his family's patrons. It was probably originally intended for the Noviziato chapel in Santa Croce Basilica, of which the Medici were patrons. In 1813, during the Napoleonic suppression of churches and religious houses in Italy, the altarpiece and predella were both taken to Paris. The predella's first two sections remain in the Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
(''St Francis Receiving the Stigmata'' and ''The Healing of Justinian the Canon''), whilst the last three are now in the Uffizi with the main work (''Nativity'' and two ), accompanied by copies of the two Louvre sections.
References