The ''St. Peter of Verona Triptych'' (Italian: ''Trittico di San Pietro Martire'') is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance master

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

, executed around 1428–1429. It is housed in the National Museum of San Marco, Florence, region of Tuscany,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The work is Fra Angelico's first documented work. It comes from the convent of San Pietro Martire and a document from 30 March 1429 notes a sum of 20

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

owed to the

convent of San Domenico, Fiesole The Convent of San Domenico ( it, Convento di 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 Giovann ...

, where the painter was a monk. According to some art historians, it could be contemporary of the ''

Virgin and Child with Saint Anne The Virgin and Child with Saint AnneTinagli, Paola. 1997. ''Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, p. 159. or Madonna and Child with Saint Anne is a subject in Christian a ...

'' (1424–1425) by Masaccio and

Masolino da Panicale , death_date = ''c.'' 1447 , death_place = Florence , nationality = Italian , field = Painting, fresco , training = , movement = Italian Renaissance , works = frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel , patrons ...

, although it lacks the use of compartments which at the time were widespread.

Description

In the center of the work is a ''

Maestà Maestà , the Italian word for "majesty", designates a classification of images of the enthroned Madonna with the child Jesus, the designation generally implying accompaniment by angels, saints, or both. The ''Maestà'' is an extension of the "Se ...

'' (Madonna Enthroned with Child) and, at the sides, are the Saints Dominic, John the Baptist,

Peter of Verona Peter of Verona (1205 – April 6, 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr and Saint Peter of Verona, was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was kille ...

, and

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

. In the cusps are lobed tondoes with the ''Annunciation Angel'', the ''Annunciation'' and, in the center, ''Blessing Christ''. Between the cusps are scenes of the life of St. Peter of Verona (''Predication'' and ''Martyrdom''). The Madonna sits on a brocaded seat, with the Child standing on her knees. She is holding an

ampulla An ampulla (; ) was, in Ancient Rome, a small round vessel, usually made of glass and with two handles, used for sacred purposes. The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or ...

, a reference to

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

's ampulla and thus to Jesus' passion. The Child wears a tunic with rich golden decoration. His hand holds a globe, a symbol of his power, while the other hands is raised in a blessing gesture. The relative lack of decoration, compared to Angelico's earlier

Fiesole Altarpiece The ''Fiesole Altarpiece'' is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance master Fra Angelico, executed around 1424–1425. It is housed in the Convent of San Domenico, Fiesole, central Italy. The background was repainted by Lorenzo di Credi in 150 ...

(1424–1425), which was still heavily based on

Gentile da Fabriano Gentile da Fabriano ( – 1427) was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic painter style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best-known works are his ''Adoration of the Magi ...

's style, show the growing influence of Masaccio and a more realistic approach.

External links

Web Gallery of Art

Sources

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{{Fra Angelico 1420s paintings Paintings by Fra Angelico Paintings of the Madonna and Child Triptychs Paintings in the collection of the Museo Nazionale di San Marco Altarpieces Paintings on gold backgrounds category:Paintings depicting John the Baptist category:Paintings of Saint Dominic Paintings of Thomas Aquinas Paintings of Peter of Verona