Coronation of the Virgin (Fra Angelico, Louvre)
Encyclopedia
The Coronation of the Virgin is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance master Fra Angelico
, executed around 1434-1435. It is now housed in the Musée du Louvre of Paris
, France
. The artist executed another Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1432), now at the Uffizi
in Florence
.
, near Florence, where Fra Angelico was a monk and for which it painted also the Fiesole Altarpiece
(1424-1425) and the Annunciation
now at the Museo del Prado
. Some art historians, such as John Pope-Hennessy, date it instead to Angelico's trip to Rome (1450), due to similarities with the Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
by Domenico Veneziano
(c. 1445) or the Gothic tabernacles in the Vatican's Niccoline Chapel
(1446-1448).
The painting was brought to France as a result of the pillages of the Napoleonic Wars
. Like several other artworks, it was not given back with the excuse of its large size.
. The gilded background has disappeared, replaced by a more realistic light blue sky. The composition is more advanced, perhaps inspired to the innovation introduced by Masaccio
. Angelico here depicts a rich cyborium with Gothic
triple mullionss, supported by a series of polychrome marble steps, as the set of the Incoronation. Elements such as the twisted columns show similarities with the tabernacles painted in the frescoes of the Niccoline Chapel in Rome.
Such as in the Florence painting, the angels and the saints form the audience at the side of the central scene, but the figures are more defined and some are shown from back, and the pavement's tiles are painted according to geometrical perspective. Pope-Hennessy supposed that the angels were influenced by those in the San Brizio Chapel of Orvieto Cathedral (1447).
The work was executed with the extensive help of assistant, especially in the left side: for example, St. Catherine's wheel is painted approximatively, and some of the saints in this side have less expressive faces.
The painting has a predella
with scenes portraying the Miracles of St. Dominic and, in the middle, the Resurrection of Christ. Such as in other Angelico's work, the predella scenes show an extensive use of geometrical perspective, enhanced by the use of alternatively empty and full architectures.
Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico , born Guido di Pietro, was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare and perfect talent"...
, executed around 1434-1435. It is now housed in the Musée du Louvre of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The artist executed another Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1432), now at the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
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....
.
History
The work is generally thought to have originally painted around 1434 (a few years after the similar painting in the Uffizi) the convent of San Domenico of FiesoleFiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
, near Florence, where Fra Angelico was a monk and for which it painted also the Fiesole Altarpiece
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 1501.-History:...
(1424-1425) and the Annunciation
Annunciation (Fra Angelico, Madrid)
The Annunciation is a panel-painting altarpiece or retable by Fra Angelico, produced for the Convent of San Domenico in Fiesole and now in the Prado in Madrid....
now at the Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...
. Some art historians, such as John Pope-Hennessy, date it instead to Angelico's trip to Rome (1450), due to similarities with the Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
The Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece 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...
by Domenico Veneziano
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...
(c. 1445) or the Gothic tabernacles in the Vatican's Niccoline Chapel
Niccoline Chapel
The Niccoline Chapel is a chapel in the Vatican Palace, Rome. It is especially notable for its fresco paintings by Fra Angelico and his assistants, who may have executed much of the actual work...
(1446-1448).
The painting was brought to France as a result of the pillages of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Like several other artworks, it was not given back with the excuse of its large size.
Description
The work shows several differences from the earlier Coronation now at the UffiziUffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
. The gilded background has disappeared, replaced by a more realistic light blue sky. The composition is more advanced, perhaps inspired to the innovation introduced by Masaccio
Masaccio
Masaccio , born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was the first great painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, Masaccio was the best painter of his generation because of his skill at recreating lifelike figures and movements as well as a convincing sense...
. Angelico here depicts a rich cyborium with Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
triple mullionss, supported by a series of polychrome marble steps, as the set of the Incoronation. Elements such as the twisted columns show similarities with the tabernacles painted in the frescoes of the Niccoline Chapel in Rome.
Such as in the Florence painting, the angels and the saints form the audience at the side of the central scene, but the figures are more defined and some are shown from back, and the pavement's tiles are painted according to geometrical perspective. Pope-Hennessy supposed that the angels were influenced by those in the San Brizio Chapel of Orvieto Cathedral (1447).
The work was executed with the extensive help of assistant, especially in the left side: for example, St. Catherine's wheel is painted approximatively, and some of the saints in this side have less expressive faces.
The painting has 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...
with scenes portraying the Miracles of St. Dominic and, in the middle, the Resurrection of Christ. Such as in other Angelico's work, the predella scenes show an extensive use of geometrical perspective, enhanced by the use of alternatively empty and full architectures.