Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
Encyclopedia
The Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece (Italian: Pala di Santa Lucia de' Magnoli) is a painting by the Italian painter Domenico Veneziano
, dated to around 1445-1447. Once placed at the high altar of the church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, Florence, it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in the same city. The large canvas had originally a predella
, which has been divided between museums in Washington, Berlin
and Cambridge
.
, which meant a "modern" type of canvas without the inner frames and the gilted background which was typical of medieval painting. The setting is however reminiscent of the frames, with three ogival arches, the columns and the shell-shaped niches. The architecture (as well as the basement over which is the Madonna's throne, and the polychrome pavement) is anyway depicted with the use of geometrical perspective, an innovation introduced in Italian early Renaissance art.
The saints portrayed ar St. John the Baptist and St. Zenobius (patron saints of Florence), St. Lucy (titular of the church where the painting was situated) and St. Francis, who resided in the church at his arrival in Florence in 1211. The garments and the mitre
of St. Zenobius are particularly rich, with precious stones, pearls, golden plaques and enamels.
The predella
included panels with scenes of the saints of the main composition, and a central, double-size Annunciation: the Stygmata of St. Francis and John Baptist in the Desert are currently in the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, the Annunciation and The Miracle of St. Zenobius are in the Fitzwilliam Museum
of Cambridge
, and the Martyrdom of St. Lucy is in the Berlin State Museums
.
Domenico Veneziano
Domenico Veneziano was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active mostly in Perugia and Tuscany.Little is known of his birth, though he is thought to have been born in Venice, hence his last name. He then moved to Florence in 1422-23 as a boy, to become a pupil of Gentile da Fabriano. He...
, dated to around 1445-1447. Once placed at the high altar of the church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, Florence, it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in the same city. The large canvas had originally a 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...
, which has been divided between museums in Washington, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Description
The painting is one of the earliest known examples of tabula quadrata et sine civoriis as suggested by BrunelleschiBrunelleschi
Brunelleschi may refer to:* Filippo Brunelleschi , one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance** Brunelleschi's Dome** 6055 Brunelleschi , a Main-belt Asteroid discovered in 1977...
, which meant a "modern" type of canvas without the inner frames and the gilted background which was typical of medieval painting. The setting is however reminiscent of the frames, with three ogival arches, the columns and the shell-shaped niches. The architecture (as well as the basement over which is the Madonna's throne, and the polychrome pavement) is anyway depicted with the use of geometrical perspective, an innovation introduced in Italian early Renaissance art.
The saints portrayed ar St. John the Baptist and St. Zenobius (patron saints of Florence), St. Lucy (titular of the church where the painting was situated) and St. Francis, who resided in the church at his arrival in Florence in 1211. The garments and the mitre
Mitre
The mitre , also spelled miter, is a type of headwear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox...
of St. Zenobius are particularly rich, with precious stones, pearls, golden plaques and enamels.
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...
included panels with scenes of the saints of the main composition, and a central, double-size Annunciation: the Stygmata of St. Francis and John Baptist in the Desert are currently in the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, the Annunciation and The Miracle of St. Zenobius are in the Fitzwilliam Museum
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge, located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge, England. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. Admission is free....
of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and the Martyrdom of St. Lucy is in the Berlin State Museums
Berlin State Museums
The Berlin State Museums, in German Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, are a group of museums in Berlin, Germany overseen by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and funded by the German federal government in collaboration with Germany's federal states...
.