Lady of Graces

admin Perugino ,
Affresco con al centro la Madonna in piedi in un paesaggio bucolico, con due angeli in cielo sopra di lei e due suore inginocchiate ai suoi piedi. Ai lati, due nicchie dipinte in cui sono raffigurati i Sant’Antonio abate e Sant’Antonio da Padova.

Our Lady of Graces in Saint Agnes’ Monastery

In Perugia, in Saint Agnes’ Monastery, Perugino painted Our Lady of Graces with Saint Anthony Abbot (left) and Saint Anthony of Padua (right).

A closer look at the painting

Virgin Mary, standing in a beautiful Umbrian-like landscape, casts a sweet look at us – while two flying angels support her crown. She wears a rosy dress and a blue cloak, lined in green; a belt girds her waist and a thin, transparent veil covers her forehead. On both sides, in fake recesses, the Saints are shown as if they were statues.

Two kneeling nuns pray at Mary’s feet. They possibly are the Abbes of the monastery and her Vicar; or maybe, the very clients who paid for the fresco. Their very small size aim to stress the importance the main personage.

The central section of the painting imitates a window in the wall, through which the Saints – and we – admire Virgin Mary.

Our Lady of Graces in art history

The image of Our Lady of Graces appears in many places in Perugia. You will especially notice the one painted by Gian Nicola di Paolo, a pupil of Perugino, on a pillar in Saint Lawrence’s Cathedral. This pattern comes from Byzantine art: the so-called Virgin Blacherniotissa, easy to identify because of her open hands, palms turning outward toward us; and her long cloak.

Below the painting, an inscription displays some names, still partly readable. They probably were the clients’ names.

The work’s date

Perugino’s painting was formerly ascribed to 1522. The 2004 restoration, however, revealed the high quality of the characters’ faces, thus making scholars rethink the time period of its making. According to the current conjecture, it should have been painted a decade earlier.

After the National Unification of Italy (1861) the monastery was suppressed by the lay authorities, and became a property of the State. Later on, anyway, it would have caused troubles to let the nuns come back here – as their seclusion would make it impossible for the people to admire the fresco, whose beauty was well known by now. Therefore the Bishop of Perugia, i.e. the later Pope Leo XIII, abolished the seclusion with reference to the chapel in which the fresco exists, and visitors have free access to it.

Discover the testimonies of Perugino today

Routes and itineraries to discover the works of the divine painter

CONDIVIDI

ALTRI LUOGHI DA VISITARE

Fragments of the fresco 'Deposition from the Cross' by Perugino. In the centre of the image, a man at the foot of the cross holds two ladders resting on the arms of the cross. The unconscious body of the Madonna lies on the ground on the left side of the fresco. The figure is surrounded by a group of women (some kneeling beside her, others standing) who observe the scene with sweet faces marked by grief. At the right bottom of the artwork, some Apostles witness the event.

The Deposition from the Cross in the Church of St. Mary of the Servants, Città della Pieve

admin
Photo of a part of the altarpiece of the Assumption, painted by Perugino and located in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Corciano. The wooden panel is set within a gilded frame. The main panel depicts the scene of the Assumption of the Virgin, divided into two parts. In the upper part, the Madonna is placed inside a mandorla of light and rests her feet on the clouds. She is surrounded by angels and her gaze is turned towards the viewer. In the lower part, the apostles pray and turn their gazes upwards. The hills form the background to the painting.

The Altarpiece of Mary’s Assumption, a Perugino panel in Corciano

admin
visione d’insieme dell’affresco del Martirio di San Sebastiano realizzato dal Perugino nella chiesa dell’omonimo Santo che si trova a Panicale. Al centro della scena, su una piazza pavimentata, si trova un piedistallo sopra il quale San Sebastiano è legato a una colonna, nudo e trafitto da due frecce. Il suo corpo ricorda le statue dell’epoca classica, mentre l’espressione del viso lascia trasparire un atteggiamento arrendevole, tipico della figura del martire cristiano che sacrifica la propria vita per la fede di Dio. Tre arcieri e un balestriere, divisi in due coppie, sono collocati alla destra e alla sinistra del piedistallo su cui poggia i piedi il Santo. Sullo sfondo si trova un’architettura composta da cinque arcate e un ampio paesaggio in secondo piano si intravede dietro gli archi. Nella parte superiore dell’affresco, Perugino dipinge Dio Padre all’interno di un globo di luce mentre sta compiendo il rito della benedizione, circondato ai lati da angeli.

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

admin