The ''Saint Vincent Ferrer Altarpiece'' is a tempera on panel painting by

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...

(possibly with some collaboration by another artist on the scenes of Ferrer's miracles on the predella, perhaps Lauro Padovano), dating to 1464–1470 and still in on the altar dedicated to Saint Vincent Ferrer at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, for which it was originally commissioned. Ferrer was a Spanish Dominican who had only been canonised in 1455 and his order was continuing to promote his cult. The altar was finished in 1464 according to a receipt issued by one Olricus de Argentina to the then prior Giovanni da Merano regarding the ''fabrica Sancti Vincentii''.Fogolari, 1932 The altarpiece was mentioned as a work of Bellini in 1581 by

Francesco Sansovino Francesco Tatti da Sansovino (1521–1586) was a versatile Italian scholar, humanist (one of the most important of his century) and man of letters, also known as a publisher. Biography Francesco Sansovino was born in Rome, the son of the sc ...

and some argue that he may have produced its many canvases in stages, given their stylistic differences. From left to right the central register shows

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

, Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Sebastian. The upper register shows a

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

flanked by an

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

scene, with the archangel

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

to the left and the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

to the right. Above the Pietà there was originally a

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...

showing God the Father, to which Mary directed her gaze; this was recorded in 1664 by Boschini but later lost. In 1994, the altarpiece underwent conservation funded by the non-profit organization

Save Venice Inc. Save Venice Inc. is a U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of art and architecture and the preservation of cultural heritage sites in Venice, Italy. Headquartered in New York City, it has an office in Venice, a chapter in Bos ...

Polittico di san vincenzo ferrer 08.jpg, ''Saint Christopher and the Christ Child'' Polittico di san vincenzo ferrer 10.jpg, ''Annunciation''

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Vincent Ferrer Altarpiece Paintings by Giovanni Bellini 1470 paintings Paintings of Vincent Ferrer Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice category:Paintings of Saint Christopher