Coronation of the Virgin (Lorenzo Monaco)
Encyclopedia
The Coronation of the Virgin is a tempera on panel polyptych
by the Italian late Gothic artist Lorenzo Monaco
. Once in the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli, it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
. It is dated February 1413 which, in the Florentine calendary
(which began in March), corresponded to 1414.
In the late 16th century, it was replaced in the altar it occupied by a large canvas by Alessandro Allori
. The Coronation was found back in the 19th century, when it was housed in the Camaldolese abbey of San Pietro a Cerreto, in poor conditions; it was therefore restored from 1872 in the frame and, for what concerns the painted part, in 1990, showing back the precious and (for the time) expensive use of lapis lazuli blue.
s. The three arches are decorated with vegetable motifs; over them are three panels (whose upper frame is lost), containing the paintings, from the left, of the Angel of the Annunciation, the Blessing Christ between Cherubims and the Annunciation. At the side are two piers with twisting columns on the edges, where are paintings of prophets. In the lower part is the predella
, with six small paintings of the Episodes of the Lives of St. Benedict and St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
The central painting within the three arcades shows the Coronation of the Virgin set in the Paradise (alluded by the blue starred belts), with two rows of saints at the sides and a large number of angels behind the throne of Jesus and the Madonna.
The composition is crowded but, like other Giottoesque paintings, lacking any perspective. The gilted background is typical of Lorenzo's style, such as the absence of any profane elements.
Polyptych
A polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into sections, or panels. The terminology that follows is in relevance to the number of panels integrated into a particular piece of work: "diptych" describes a two-part work of art; "triptych" describes a three-part work; "tetraptych"...
by the Italian late Gothic artist Lorenzo Monaco
Lorenzo Monaco
Lorenzo Monaco was an Italian painter of the late Gothic-early Renaissance age.-Biography:...
. Once in the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli, it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. It is dated February 1413 which, in the Florentine calendary
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
(which began in March), corresponded to 1414.
History
The painting is mentioned in the early 15th century by Antonio Billi.In the late 16th century, it was replaced in the altar it occupied by a large canvas by Alessandro Allori
Alessandro Allori
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori was an Italian portrait painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school....
. The Coronation was found back in the 19th century, when it was housed in the Camaldolese abbey of San Pietro a Cerreto, in poor conditions; it was therefore restored from 1872 in the frame and, for what concerns the painted part, in 1990, showing back the precious and (for the time) expensive use of lapis lazuli blue.
Description
The work is framed within a huge gilted and carved frame, with three cusps covered placed on jutting corbelCorbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. The three arches are decorated with vegetable motifs; over them are three panels (whose upper frame is lost), containing the paintings, from the left, of the Angel of the Annunciation, the Blessing Christ between Cherubims and the Annunciation. At the side are two piers with twisting columns on the edges, where are paintings of prophets. In the lower part is the predella
Predella
A predella is the platform or step on which an altar stands . In painting, the predella is the painting or sculpture along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece...
, with six small paintings of the Episodes of the Lives of St. Benedict and St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
The central painting within the three arcades shows the Coronation of the Virgin set in the Paradise (alluded by the blue starred belts), with two rows of saints at the sides and a large number of angels behind the throne of Jesus and the Madonna.
The composition is crowded but, like other Giottoesque paintings, lacking any perspective. The gilted background is typical of Lorenzo's style, such as the absence of any profane elements.