Coronation of the Virgin (Fra Angelico, Uffizi)
Encyclopedia
The Coronation of the Virgin is a painting by the Italian early Renaissance master Fra Angelico
, executed around 1432. It is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence
. The artist executed another Coronation of the Virgin
(c. 1434-1435), now at the Louvre
in Paris
.
writes that it was located in the church of Sant'Egidio at Florence. Two panels of the predella which once was part of the work are known: they portray the Marriage and the Funeral of the Virgin, and are currently exhibited in the museum of San Marco, Florence
.
The altarpiece arrived at the Uffizi in 1825. The current frame dates to this period.
This portrays Christ while crowning the Virgin; both are surrounded by rays (executed through an engraving technique above the gilted background) which symbolize the divine light. Like in other Fra Angelico's work, the painting has a mystic tone, with a large crowd of saints, angels and blessed enhancing this aspect. On the left, in the foreground, is St. Egidius, titular of the church which originally housed the work. His face is perhaps modelled over that Antonino Pierozzi, the former prior of the convent of San Marco, to which Fra Angelico belonged. He is followed by Zenobius of Florence, St. Francis and St. Dominic. On the right side are female saints: among them is a kneeling Mary Magdalene. In the last rows are musician angels.
The structure of the work and the use of brilliant colors shows the influence of Angelico's master, Lorenzo Monaco
, who executed another Coronation of the Virgin
, also in the Uffizi.
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 1432. It is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery of 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....
. The artist executed another Coronation of the Virgin
Coronation of the Virgin (Fra Angelico, Louvre)
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 The Coronation of the Virgin is a painting by the Italian early...
(c. 1434-1435), now at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in 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...
.
History
The work is mentioned as by Fra Angelico in a manuscript of the Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze, and Giorgio VasariGiorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
writes that it was located in the church of Sant'Egidio at Florence. Two panels of the predella which once was part of the work are known: they portray the Marriage and the Funeral of the Virgin, and are currently exhibited in the museum of San Marco, Florence
San Marco, Florence
San Marco is the name of a religious complex in Florence, Italy. It comprises a church and a convent. The convent, which is now a museum, has three claims to fame: during the 15th century it was home to two famous Dominicans, the painter Fra Angelico and the preacher, Girolamo Savonarola...
.
The altarpiece arrived at the Uffizi in 1825. The current frame dates to this period.
Description
The painting has a gilted background, a heritage of medieval painting, over which is a small paradise where the Coronation is being held.This portrays Christ while crowning the Virgin; both are surrounded by rays (executed through an engraving technique above the gilted background) which symbolize the divine light. Like in other Fra Angelico's work, the painting has a mystic tone, with a large crowd of saints, angels and blessed enhancing this aspect. On the left, in the foreground, is St. Egidius, titular of the church which originally housed the work. His face is perhaps modelled over that Antonino Pierozzi, the former prior of the convent of San Marco, to which Fra Angelico belonged. He is followed by Zenobius of Florence, St. Francis and St. Dominic. On the right side are female saints: among them is a kneeling Mary Magdalene. In the last rows are musician angels.
The structure of the work and the use of brilliant colors shows the influence of Angelico's master, Lorenzo Monaco
Lorenzo Monaco
Lorenzo Monaco was an Italian painter of the late Gothic-early Renaissance age.-Biography:...
, who executed another Coronation of the Virgin
Coronation of the Virgin (Lorenzo Monaco)
The Coronation of the Virgin is a tempera on panel polyptych by the Italian late Gothic artist Lorenzo Monaco. Once in the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli, it is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence...
, also in the Uffizi.