The ''San Francesco al Prato Resurrection'' is a painting by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

painter

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance Painting, painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pup ...

, dating to c. 1499. It is housed in the

Pinacoteca Vaticana The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

History

The work takes its name from the church of San Francesco al Prato of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

, where it was originally located. It was commissioned in 1499 and finished presumably around 1501. During the artworks spoliations following the French Napoleonic invasion of Italy, it was brought to Paris. It returned to Italy in 1815, and thenceforth it has been exhibited at the

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

' art gallery. According to art historian

Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle (22 January 1819 – 31 October 1897) was an Italian writer and art critic, best known as part of "Crowe and Cavalcaselle", for the many works in English on art history he co-authored with Joseph Archer Crowe. T ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

, then an assistant of Perugino, had a major role in the execution of the ''Resurrection''. This opinion is however generally rejected by most other art historians.

Description

The work follows a typical scheme of Perugino's art. The divinity, in this case the resurrected Jesus, is depicted within a mandorla occupying the upper part of the painting, among angels. The lower part shows, above a landscape in the background, the open sarcophagus and several Roman soldiers, three of whom are sleeping and one awakened by the miracle. Another example of the scheme is the contemporary ''Transfiguration'' in the

Collegio del Cambio The Collegio del Cambio, is the historic seat of the exchange guild in the Palazzo dei Priori in the city of Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the prov ...

in Perugia. The figure of Christ, holding the flag symbolic of the resurrection, has the typical harmony and softness of Perugino's mature works, with a detailed chest and a bright drapery with deep pleats. The two angels at his sides are symmetrical, and were obtained from the same cartoon (used by the artist and his workshop also in other works, such as the '' Madonna in Glory with Saints'' at

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

). The sarcophagus has its cover correctly painted according to

geometrical perspective Linear or point-projection perspective (from la, perspicere 'to see through') is one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts; the other is parallel projection. Linear perspective is an approximate representation, ...

. The soldiers are also painted with attentions and details, such as the fanciful crest of the helmet, also present in the Collegio del Cambio frescoes.

References

Page at Filippi Lippi paintings restoration website

Sources

*Garibaldi, Vittoria (2004). ''Perugino''. (Pittori del Rinascimento.) Florence: Scala. {{Pietro Perugino 1490s paintings Angels in art Paintings by Pietro Perugino Paintings in the collection of the Vatican Museums Paintings of the Resurrection of Christ