The ''Oddi Altarpiece'', or more correctly the degli Oddi altarpiece, is an

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

of the

Coronation of the Virgin A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special ...

painted in 1502-1504 by the Italian Renaissance master

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 ...

for the altar of the Oddi family chapel in the church of San Francesco al Prato in

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, Italy, now in the Vatican Pinacoteca. The altarpiece was commissioned for the Oddi family chapel in San Francesco al Prato in Perugia, was taken to Paris in 1797 (for the Musée Napoleon) and in 1815 brought back to Italy, not to Perugia but to the Vatican Pinacoteca. The altarpiece was commissioned by Leandra Baglioni, widow of Simone degli Oddi; in Perugia there were different Oddi and degli Oddi families, but English sources often ignore this, including the English version of the

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums (; ) 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 the best-known Roman sculptures and ...

website.

The crowning of the Virgin

The actions of the painting occur in two related scenes, one in heaven and the other terrestrial. Above the coronation shows the Virgin being crowned by

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 ...

, while angels are playing music; while below the section depicts the

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

gathering around the empty tomb of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

, whose body was raised to heaven without corruption. St Thomas holds in his hands the girdle Mary dropped down to him as a testament to her assumption. The saints raise their eyes to the heavenly spectacle.

The predella

The

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 ...

(39 × 190 cm) is composed of three 27 × 50 cm paintings, showing scenes of The Life of the Virgin:

The Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Mary ...

The Adoration of the Magi ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Presentation in the Temple The Presentation of Jesus is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, or the "Feast of the Presentation of Jes ...

Notes

External links

The altarpiece
an

at the Vatican Pinacotheca.

and th

an

part of the predella at the Web Gallery of Art. * {{Raphael Paintings by Raphael 1500s paintings Paintings in the Vatican Museums

Altarpieces Musical instruments in art Dogs in art Horses in art

Paintings of apostles

Paintings of the Annunciation

The crowning of the Virgin

The predella

See also

Notes

External links