1424
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Coronation of the Virgin is a 1424 unspecified by Fra Angelico, a Early Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see gold rays, a blue sky, and a crowd of saints and angels watching Mary kneel while Christ places a crown on her head. This small panel was probably made for one person to pray with, not for a church altar. The tiny faces and delicate halos are painted with such care that you can almost feel the artist’s steady hand. Fra Angelico was a monk, and his quiet faith shows in every brushstroke. To see how other 15th-century Florence artists painted holy scenes, look up *subject: italy, florence, 15th century*.
This picture’s original use is uncertain. Its size and shape are appropriate for a predella (the pedestal portion of an altarpiece), which often consists of several small panels. However, the Coronation of the Virgin almost never appears on predellas. The panel’s minute detail and rich finish suggest it may have been an object for private devotion. This is believed to be an early work by Fra Angelico, whose real name was Guido di Pietro, a Dominican monk in Florence. Here, an angel holds the Virgin’s train while she kneels to receive the crown offered by Christ. The scene glimmers with gold;…
Since its acquisition in 1944 the authorship of this painting has been updated from the workshop of Fra Angelico to the master himself.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (born Guido di Pietro; c. 1395 – 18 February 1455), known posthumously as Fra Angelico ( FRAH an-JEL-ik-oh, Italian: ), was an Italian Dominican friar and painter active during the early…
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