Madonna with Child Enthroned between Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian
Encyclopedia
Madonna with Child Enthroned between Saints John the Baptist and Sebastian is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino
, executed in 1493, and housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence
.
, widow of Venetian merchant Giovanni Martini, and his son Roberto, for the chapel of the convent of San Domenico, Fiesole
, which had been perhaps restored by Giuliano da Sangallo a few years before. In 1493 Perugino had married Chiara Fancelli, the daughter of architect Luca Fancelli
: the face of the Madonna is a portrait of her.
In 1786 the panel was acquired for 1000 Italian scudi
by Peter Leopold
, Grand Duke of Tuscany, becoming part of the future Uffizi Gallery. The original chapel was redecorated by a painting by Lorenzo di Credi
; now in the church is a copy by Garibaldo Ceccarelli.
It was rstored in 1995.
or the Pietà
. Also typical is the serene landscape with thin trees.
Mary sits on a high throne decorated with grotesque
s at the base, where it is also the signature PETRVS PERVSINVS PINXIT AN[NO MCCCCLXXXXIII. She holds the child on her kneels, who looks towards John the Baptist on the left; John, in turn, points at him. On the right is the common representation of St. Sebastian martyred by arrow, his contemplative glance directed to the sky.
The composition was one of the first examples in Florence of the new style of Holy Conversation elaborated in Venice
by Antonello da Messina
and Giovanni Bellini
a few years before, with a pyramidal development pivoting on the central figure of Mary on a high throne. The painting is also one of the first by Perugino in which the Madonna is no longer an elegant maid, but a more mature and severe woman, according to the more sober climate introduced in Florence by Girolamo Savonarola
. Another example of this evolution is the Madonna with Child with St. Catherine of Alexandria in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna.
Pietro Perugino
Pietro Perugino , born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance...
, executed in 1493, and housed in the Uffizi Gallery, 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....
.
History
The work was commissioned by Cornelia SalviatiSalviati
Salviati may refer to:Families:* The Salviati, a 15th century Florentine-Roman banking family.** In Galileo's Dialogue, Salviati is the character who speaks for him...
, widow of Venetian merchant Giovanni Martini, and his son Roberto, for the chapel of the convent of San Domenico, Fiesole
Convent of San Domenico, Fiesole
The Convent of San Domenico is a Dominican convent in Fiesole, Italy, situated between the hill of Fiesole and the suburbs of Florence. It was founded in 1406 and completed in 1435 on the initiative of Giovanni Dominici and the bishop of Fiesole, Jacopo Altoviti, both of them monks at the Basilica...
, which had been perhaps restored by Giuliano da Sangallo a few years before. In 1493 Perugino had married Chiara Fancelli, the daughter of architect Luca Fancelli
Luca Fancelli
Luca Fancelli was an Italian architect and sculptor.-Biography:Fancelli was born in Settignano, a fraction of Florence...
: the face of the Madonna is a portrait of her.
In 1786 the panel was acquired for 1000 Italian scudi
Italian scudo
The scudo was the name for a number of coins used in Italy until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin scutum . From the 16th century, the name was used in Italy for large silver coins...
by Peter Leopold
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
, Grand Duke of Tuscany, becoming part of the future Uffizi Gallery. The original chapel was redecorated by a painting by Lorenzo di Credi
Lorenzo di Credi
Lorenzo di Credi was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor. He first influenced Leonardo da Vinci and then was greatly influenced by him.-Life:...
; now in the church is a copy by Garibaldo Ceccarelli.
It was rstored in 1995.
Description
The background, this time featuring two bays, is one of the many porticoes painted by Perugino in the 1480s and 1490s (in works such as the Fano AltarpieceFano Altarpiece
Fano Altarpiece is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino, executed in 1497, and housed in the church of Santa Maria Nuova, Fano, central Italy. It also includes a lunette with a Pietà and several predella panels....
or the Pietà
Pietà (Perugino)
Pietà is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino, executed around 1483-1493, and housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.-History:...
. Also typical is the serene landscape with thin trees.
Mary sits on a high throne decorated with grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
s at the base, where it is also the signature PETRVS PERVSINVS PINXIT AN[NO MCCCCLXXXXIII. She holds the child on her kneels, who looks towards John the Baptist on the left; John, in turn, points at him. On the right is the common representation of St. Sebastian martyred by arrow, his contemplative glance directed to the sky.
The composition was one of the first examples in Florence of the new style of Holy Conversation elaborated in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
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...
and Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
a few years before, with a pyramidal development pivoting on the central figure of Mary on a high throne. The painting is also one of the first by Perugino in which the Madonna is no longer an elegant maid, but a more mature and severe woman, according to the more sober climate introduced in Florence by Girolamo Savonarola
Girolamo Savonarola
Girolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar, Scholastic, and an influential contributor to the politics of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498. He was known for his book burning, destruction of what he considered immoral art, and what he thought the Renaissance—which began in his...
. Another example of this evolution is the Madonna with Child with St. Catherine of Alexandria in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna.