Delivery of the Franciscan Rule
Encyclopedia
Delivery of the Franciscan Rule is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance artist Colantonio, dating from 1445 and housed in the Capodimonte Museum of Naples
.
, Burgundian and Provençal art, and under Alfonso V of Aragon
, who was connected to Aragon, where art was in turn inspired by Flemish models.
The diversity of these two influences is visible in the two panels executed by Colantonio for the Franciscan church of San Lorenzo Maggiore, which were painted in two different moments a were alter completed by Antonello da Messina
with smaller side panels of blessed Franciscans. The general theme of the altarpiece was the celebration of the Franciscan thought, of which St. Jerome, according to the theories of St. Bernardino of Siena, had been one of the main influences.
. At the top are two symmetrical flying birds, which hold two cartouche
s.
The work shows that Colantonio, at the time of its realization, was already acquainted of the novelties brought from Aragon at Alfonso's court. This is visible in details such as the steep, nearly vertical pavement, the characters' feature, the holed aureola
s, the rigid and geometrical folds of the clothes. The other panel, depicting St. Jerome in His Study, despite being one or two years earlier, is still more influenced by the early Netherlandish painting
in favour at the Angevine court, with painters such as Barthélemy d'Eyck
.
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
History
Colantonio operated in Naples from around 1440 to 1460, under king René of Anjou (1438-1442), an admirer of FlemishFlemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
, Burgundian and Provençal art, and under Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
, who was connected to Aragon, where art was in turn inspired by Flemish models.
The diversity of these two influences is visible in the two panels executed by Colantonio for the Franciscan church of San Lorenzo Maggiore, which were painted in two different moments a were alter completed by Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio was an Italian painter from Messina, Sicily, active during the Italian Renaissance...
with smaller side panels of blessed Franciscans. The general theme of the altarpiece was the celebration of the Franciscan thought, of which St. Jerome, according to the theories of St. Bernardino of Siena, had been one of the main influences.
Description
The scene depicts, above a gilt background, a slender St. Francis of Assisi who, in the center, consigns the Franciscan Rule to his brothers, who are kneeling around him. The men at the left, with Fra Leone receiving the book, and the women at the right, including St. ClaireSt. Claire
While there are no saints named St. Claire, there are two saints named St. Clare:*St. Clare of Assisi, founder of the Poor Clares and companion of St. Francis of Assisi*St. Clare of Montefalco, also known as Saint Clare of the Cross...
. At the top are two symmetrical flying birds, which hold two cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
s.
The work shows that Colantonio, at the time of its realization, was already acquainted of the novelties brought from Aragon at Alfonso's court. This is visible in details such as the steep, nearly vertical pavement, the characters' feature, the holed aureola
Aureola
An aureola or aureole is the radiance of luminous cloud which, in paintings of sacred personages, surrounds the whole figure...
s, the rigid and geometrical folds of the clothes. The other panel, depicting St. Jerome in His Study, despite being one or two years earlier, is still more influenced by the early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists active in the Low Countries during the 15th- and early 16th-century Northern renaissance, especially in the flourishing Burgundian cities of Bruges and Ghent...
in favour at the Angevine court, with painters such as Barthélemy d'Eyck
Barthélemy d'Eyck
Barthélemy d'Eyck, van Eyck or d' Eyck , was an Early Netherlandish artist who worked in France and probably in Burgundy as a painter and manuscript illuminator...
.