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The 12 main panels of the altarpiece, one of the largest to be commissioned in 14th-century Florence, are in the National Gallery Collection. The predella shows scenes from the life of Saint Peter and is dispersed in different collections. The painting was commissioned for the church of San Pier Maggiore in Florence, probably by the Albizzi family. The accounts of 1370 show that a certain Niccolò, probably Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, designed the altarpiece. It was probably painted by Jacopo di Cione and assistants. It was completed in 1371. In the centre of the composition are Christ and the Virgin, dressed in white and gold, and seated upon a canopied throne surrounded by angels. The panels to each side are densely crowded with saints; to the left a prominent Saint Peter carries a model of San Pier Maggiore. The middle tier of the altarpiece, which would have been supported by heavy buttresses, showed (from left to right) the Nativity, the Adoration of the Kings, the Resurrection, the Maries at the Sepulchre, the Ascension and Pentecost. In the three pinnacles above, the Trinity appeared in the centre with adoring angels on each side. A later, more fluent, Florentine version of the theme is 'The Coronation of the Virgin' by Lorenzo Monaco.
Saint Joseph is identified by his rod that burst into flower, Saint Lucy (whose name means light) holds a burning light. The woman and the child in the foreground have sometimes been said to be saints, but are more probably a mother and her child, the donors of the picture, although the mother's head has been given a radiance. This picture is apparently unfinished and is considerably damaged. The horizontal format showing kneeling donors recommended by saints to the Virgin and Child in a landscape was typical of Venetian painting, and the painting has been attributed to Cariani.
At the centre Christ is on the cross. On the left are the Magdalen and the Virgin supported by two Holy Women. On the right are Saint John and a figure with a scalloped halo who may be Saint Anne. The tracery and ornament around the picture are original.R
This may be the earliest dated picture of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. This doctrine, which claimed the Virgin was conceived miraculously without taint of original sin, was controversial but enjoyed increasing popularity in the 15th century, becoming dogma in 1854. Although rejected by the Dominicans, the Franciscans supported it. A standard format and symbolism developed for such pictures. The symbols derive from the Bible, including the Book of Revelation and The Song of Songs. Here, the Virgin's purity is symbolised by a lily in a pure crystal glass. The painting, signed and dated 1492, comes from the Franciscan church of San Francesco, Pergola, central Italy.
Delacroix painted this subject several times throughout his career. One version showing Christ between the two thieves was exhibited at the Salon of 1835 (Musee Municipal des Beaux-Arts, Vanne). Another version of 1846, closely related to this painting, w
In the Trinity (top right), the four creatures with the heads of an eagle, man, ox and lion symbolise, respectively, the four Evangelists: John, Matthew, Luke and Mark. The 'Crucifixion' contains many of the incidents found in the nearly contemporary vers
Lazarus, the brother of Mary Magdalene, was dying and Jesus was called to his bedside, but by the time he arrived Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus was taken to the grave, gave thanks to God, and 'he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot
The subject matter and the composition (which may have been cut down) are unusual.John the Baptist points to the infant Christ, who holds an olive branch, symbolising peace, and, as Saviour of the World, a globe. They stand on a curved parapet enclosing t