Coronation of the Virgin
late 15th – early 16th c.
tempera and gold on wood
painted surface: 109.8 x 71.6 cm
Inv. 55.194
The picture was painted by a member of Domenico Ghirlandaio’s busy Florentine workshop, who received his conventional name after his work conserved in the Saint Louis Art Museum. The space of the picture is divided into two fields: a heavenly and an earthly realm. The upper part shows the last event of the Virgin’s life – her glorification – in a composition rare in Italy and deriving probably from northern prototypes: God the Father and Jesus are on the two sides of Mary, while the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit appears at the top of the picture, above the two cherub heads. In the lower part we see the Bible translator Saint Jerome with his faithful companion, the lion, and Saint Anthony, the Franciscan saint of Padua. A wide landscape stretches behind them, which also betrays the influence of northern art. There is an Italian town on its banks, which reminds us of contemporary Florence because of the large ribbed dome. In the lower right corner the profile of a Saracen appears. It is in all likelihood the commissioner’s portrait.
D.S.
