Thursday, November 16, 2017

More from the Lorenzetti Show in Siena

Following up on a post from yesterday, here is some more of the splendid work of the painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti (ca. 1290-1348), currently being shown at an exhibition in his native city of Siena.
Altarpiece with Madonna and Child, Angels, Saints and Prophets (often called in Italian a ‘Maestà - Majesty’), from the church of San Pietro in Orto, Massa Maritima; ca. 1335. Here the Sienese love for detail and decoration is particularly evident.
Detail of the Virgin Mary’s throne, the base of which is formed from the three Theological virtues (in ascending order), Faith, Hope and Charity.
Altarpiece of St Michael the Archangel, also known as the Rofena Abbey Polyptych, with the Madonna and Child above; on the left, St Bartholomew, with St John the Evangelist in the pinnacle; on the right, St Benedict, with St Louis of Toulouse in the pinnacle. ca 1337. 
Madonna and Child, from the parish of San Lorenzo alle Serre di Rapolano, ca. 1342-44 
Dismembered altarpiece with the Virgin and Child, Ss Martha and Mary Magdalene, Ss John the Evangelist and Baptist; below, the Lamentation over the Dead Christ, with Ss Augustine and Anthony Abbot.
Detail of St John the Evangelist
St Marthe; here again, the Sienese love for decoration is put to very good effect with the flowers she holds.
Madonna and Child with two Angels, Ss Dorothy, Catherine of Alexandria, Nicholas, Martin, and Popes Clement I and Gregory I. ca. 1342-44. Two panels on the sides showing St Nicholas gift of the dowries and St Martin sharing his cloak with the beggar are preserved, but now separated from the main panel.
The Annunciation. From the angel’s mouth come the words “Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum”; in the halo of the Virgin, “Non est impossibile apud Deum omne verbum”; from the Virgin’s towards God the Father in the cuspid, “Ecce ancilla Domini.” The inscription below dates the painting, December 17, 1344.


Stained Glass of St Michael slaying the devil, 1325-30 ca.
A crucifix by Ambrogio’s older brother Pietro, from the diocesan museum of Cortona, 1315-20 ca. 
 

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