This work was painted for the high altar of the Oratory of the Conception, Ferrara (attached to the church of S. Francesco) & was probably commissioned by Carlo & Camillo Strozzi. A lunette of the Pietà (Ferrara, private collection) has been associated with it. Narratives generally shown on the the lower edge of a large altarpiece, or 'predella', are here represented on the plinth of the throne. Unusually, they read from right to left, beginning with the Nativity & concluding with Christ among the Doctors. The Virgin was identified as the second Eve, through whom mankind would be saved, which is symbolised by the presence of Adam & Eve below her feet. The paintings beside the arch show the Sacrifice of Isaac & probably Esther before Ahaseurus. These Old Testament episodes were believed to foreshadow Christ's sacrifice & the exceptional purity of the Virgin. ...

The Virgin & Child are clothed with the sun, perhaps in reference to the Woman & Child of the Apocalypse as described in the New Testament (Revelation 12: 1). Saint Anthony is shown with his attributes of a bell & a hog. This work may have been made for private devotion. It has been extensively restored. The 19th-century frame contains imitations of medals by Pisanello. ...

The figure of Saint John the Baptist in this painting is derived from a picture ascribed to Giovanni Bellini in the Accademia, Venice. In the inscription, Previtali refers to himself as Bellini's disciple. Saint Catherine of Alexandria is shown holding a martyr's palm; Christ places a ring over her finger, recalling her vision of a 'mystic marriage' to Christ. ...

The figure on the right is the Franciscan Bernardino of Feltre (1439
- 1494; formally beatified in 1653). He is sometimes confused
...

Saints Sebastian & Jerome are shown on the left; Saints Christina & Nicholas are on the right. Two angels with lilies crown the Virgin Mary, & the Christ Child apears to hold a globe. This work was painted as an altarpiece for a chapel dedicated to Saint Christina built by the patron Lodovicus de Rutenis (Rodez) in the church of S. Francesco, Montone. The predella from the altarpiece, which shows scenes from the life of Saint Christina, is now in the Museo del Brera, Milan. ...

This design of the Virgin & Child was one of the most popular in 15th-century Florence. The production of such pictures appears to have been the raison d'etre of one or more Florentine workshops in the 15th century. ...

The Virgin is seated on a throne, with Saint Francis (identified by his stigmata) presenting a lay donor, & Saint Bernardino (whose facial type was standardised in painting of the period), on either side. Behind the Virgin's throne are four angels. Saint Bartholomew is shown in the right panel with his attribute of a flaying knife, by which he was martyred. Saint John the Baptist on the left holds a glass staff with a cross. His scroll is inscribed with a"ation from the Gospel of Saint John (1: 29, 36): "" Behold the Lamb of God"" in abbreviated Latin. This text appears frequently in paintings of the Baptist & alludes to his biblical role as the ""forerunner of Christ"". The painting was previously attributed to Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. It is now attributed to Caporali on account of its closeness in style to a triptych in Perugia, documented as Caporali's work & dated 1475. The central panel is a reworking of a picture by Niccolò di Liberatore dated 1457 (Deruta, Pinacoteca). ...

The Virgin, crowned as the Queen of Heaven, holds the Christ Child who raises his hand in blessing. They are surrounded by six angels. This small devotional altarpiece is unusual because of the secular nature of the angels's costumes, which were of a type fashionable in Florence in the 1420s. In the past, this painting has been ascribed to a number of minor Florentine & Sienese artists, but it is now linked on grounds of style with the work of Francesco d' Antonio di Bartolomeo. A strip of pastiglia (an Italian term meaning raised patterns made from gesso), has been fixed to the bottom of the modern frame in the position of a predella. This

Includes:: three painted quatrefoils showing the Virgin, the Dead Christ & Saint John.

...

This type of composition showing the Virgin & Child enthroned is known as a Maestà (from the word 'majesty'). It was a popular design with Sienese painters. The painter takes his name from a fresco in Casole d' Elsa, near Siena, painted in about 1317. This Maestà may have been painted around the same time. The painting has been drastically cut at the base, probably because it was damaged. Originally the angels were full length. ...

The saints are from left to right: Mark, Peter Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, Dominic, Luke; & to the right of the figures of the Virgin & Child: John the Evangelist, Gregory, Catherine of Alexandria, the Magdalen, & a bishop with a book (perhaps Thomas à Becket). The painting is associated with the Dominican Church of S. Maria Novella in Florence because of the artist's links with this church & the choice of saints, some of whom are Dominican, & all of whom had altars dedicated to them in the church. ...