Artwork
A Holy Bishop
A Holy Bishop is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli. It dates from 1494 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a single figure identified by the title as a Holy Bishop, consistent with its classification as religious art.
The painting depicts a single figure identified by the title as a Holy Bishop, consistent with its classification as religious art. Created by Luca Signorelli in 1487, the work utilizes oil paint on a panel to present this ecclesiastical subject. While the specific attributes or symbolism of the bishop are not detailed in the available records, the piece is categorized within the genre of religious art, indicating its function as a devotional image or representation of a saintly figure. The work is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1487, this religious painting by Luca Signorelli utilizes oil paint applied to a wooden panel support. The work measures 86.8 cm in height and 35.7 cm in width, resulting in a notably tall and narrow composition. While the specific handling of the brushwork and current condition are not detailed in the available records, the piece is formally classified as a panel painting within the genre of religious art.
History & Provenance
A Holy Bishop is a religious panel painting by Luca Signorelli, dated 1487 and executed in oil on panel. The work is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently located. No further details regarding commission, intermediate ownership, or earlier provenance are documented in the available sources.
The sources do not record who commissioned the panel, nor do they trace any prior ownership prior to its entry into the Rijksmuseum's holdings. There is also no information on the circumstances of its creation beyond the artist attribution to Signorelli and the inception date of 1487.
A Holy Bishop by Luca Signorelli is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is located. The work is an oil-on-panel painting dating to 1487, measuring 86.8 cm in height and 35.7 cm in width. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Context
Luca Signorelli painted A Holy Bishop in 1487, an oil on panel work now held by the Rijksmuseum. This religious composition reflects his early style within the broader context of late 15th-century Tuscan painting and the devotional practices of the period. Its attribution to Signorelli has been discussed in scholarship focusing on his religious works and their placement within the evolution of Italian Renaissance art.
Overview
Luca Signorelli, a Tuscan painter renowned for his precise drawing and mastery of foreshortening, executed the oil painting A Holy Bishop in 1494. The work portrays a cleric in ceremonial attire and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, representing a religious subject within the broader currents of the Renaissance.
Legacy
The painting illustrates Signorelli’s contribution to the development of realistic human anatomy and the use of dramatic lighting, influencing later artists who pursued similar approaches to religious portraiture. Its continued study offers insight into the interplay of iconography and technique during the transitional period of the late Renaissance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Luca Signorelli (c. 1441/1445 – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona, in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos…
