''San Giovenale Triptych'' is a 1422 painting by Italian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
artist
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 ...
, housed in the Masaccio Museum of Sacred Art at
Cascia di Reggello, in the
Metropolitan City of Florence. The triptych is the first work attributed to Masaccio and the earliest known painting essay using the geometric Renaissance
perspective.
Description
The Triptych is a tempera on wooden panels . The central panel is and the two side panels are .
At the bottom of the panels, the inscriptions are in modern humanist letters for the first time in Europe, not inscribed in Gothic characters:
(ANNO DO)MINI MCCCCXXII A DI VENTITRE D'AP(RILE) -
pril 23, 1422- under the central panel
(PLE)NA DOMINUS. TECUM. BENEDICTA - on the throne step
and traces of the saints' names on the side panels.
The central panel shows the
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
enthroned with two angels and the
child Jesus
The Christ Child—also known as Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Child Jesus, Divine Child, Divine Infant and the Holy Child—refers to Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ during his early years. The term refers to a period of life of Jesus, Jesus' l ...
. The halo of the Madonna bears the
Shahada written backwards.
The left panel depicts
Saint Bartholomew
Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2).
New Testament references
The name ''Bartholomew ...
and
Saint Blaise
Blaise of Sebaste (, ''Hágios Blásios''; martyred 316 AD) was a physician and bishop of Sivas, Sebastea in historical Lesser Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and martyr. He is counted as one of the Fourteen ...
, and the right panel depicts
Saint Anthony Abbot and
Saint Juvenal (Giovenale). The left and right panels show a marked influence of 14th-century models, while the center panel's complex perspective has been something new for its time. Also, the use of three-dimensional solidity makes the painting revolutionary for its time.
History
Masaccio painted the Triptych when he was 21 years old, probably commissioned by the family of Castellani or by that of Carnesecchi for the small church of San Giovenale, from the Romanic Church at Cascia di Reggello. The presence on the painting of the eponymous saint confirms its original location. Furthermore, the church is about 20 km from Castel San Giovanni in Altura (
San Giovanni Valdarno), Masaccio's birthplace.
The Triptych remained in San Giovenale Church for centuries until its rediscovering in 1961. The work was in a state of poor preservation, and the first who took care of it was the art historian Luciano Berti. After 27 years, meanwhile kept in the superintendency's storage areas, it was placed in the Romanesque church of San Pietro a Cascia, and then in 2002, in the Museum of Sacred Art.
[Rinascimento in Valdarno, a cura di Caterina Caneva, Edizioni Polistampa, 2007]
See also
*
List of major paintings by Masaccio
References
External links
Masaccio Museum of Sacred Art600th anniversary websitePiccoli Grandi Musei
Masaccio Museum in Reggello
Visit Reggello
{{Authority control
Paintings by Masaccio
1422 paintings
Paintings of the Madonna and Child
Paintings of Anthony the Great
Triptychs
Angels in art
Paintings of Bartholomew the Apostle