Madonna with Child and Saints (Pontormo)
Encyclopedia
The Madonna with Child and Saints, also known as Pala Pucci, is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance painter Jacopo Pontormo, executed in 1516. It is housed in the church of San Michele Visdomini
in Florence
.
It portrays numerous figures. St. Joseph, on the left, is holding Jesus (a role usually fulfilled by the Madonna). The presence of St. Joseph is explained by the fact that his gospel, the Gospel of James
, deals with Christ's childhood and praises Joseph's paternal cares. St. Francis is connected to name of the committant and the devotion of his order towards Jesus.
, a collaborator of the House of Medici and a justice gonfaloniere
. The date can be seen in the painting on the book held by St. John the Baptist, on the left. The largest oil on canvas by Pontormo, it is also one of the few works by him which is still in its original location.
The panel was praised by Giorgio Vasari, who called it "the most notable panel ever made by this very rare painter".
San Michele Visdomini
San Michele Visdomini is a church in the centre of Florence, central Italy. The original church of San Michele was demolished in 1368 to make space for the tribunes of the new Cathedral of Florence. Soon it was rebuilt in its present location to a design by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, with later facade...
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 portrays numerous figures. St. Joseph, on the left, is holding Jesus (a role usually fulfilled by the Madonna). The presence of St. Joseph is explained by the fact that his gospel, the Gospel of James
Gospel of James
The Gospel of James, also known as the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James, is an apocryphal Gospel probably written about AD 145, which expands backward in time the infancy stories contained the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and presents a narrative concerning the birth and...
, deals with Christ's childhood and praises Joseph's paternal cares. St. Francis is connected to name of the committant and the devotion of his order towards Jesus.
History
The work was commissioned by Francesco PucciFrancesco Pucci
Francesco Pucci was an Italian philosopher and humanist.-Life:He was of the same family as the Cardinals Lorenzo Pucci, Roberto Pucci, and Antonio Pucci. He worked began in a mercantile house at Lyon and came into contact with the Protestant Reformation...
, a collaborator of the House of Medici and a justice gonfaloniere
Gonfaloniere
The Gonfaloniere was a highly prestigious communal post in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from gonfalone, the term used for the banners of such communes....
. The date can be seen in the painting on the book held by St. John the Baptist, on the left. The largest oil on canvas by Pontormo, it is also one of the few works by him which is still in its original location.
The panel was praised by Giorgio Vasari, who called it "the most notable panel ever made by this very rare painter".