The “Virgin Mary and Christ Child” in the Church of the Annunciation in Fontignano: one of Perugino’s last works

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Detail of the fresco depicting the Virgin Mary seated on a wooden bench, which seems to protrude from the wall. She is portrayed in the act of supporting the Child standing on her right knee. The Child is clinging with his left hand to his mother's tunic, as if to better hold himself up. In the lower part of the fresco is the inscription 'Agniolus Toni Angeli fecit fieri MDXXII'.

The “Virgin Mary and Christ Child” in the Church of the Annunciation in Fontignano: one of Perugino’s last works

In Fontignano, not far from Perugia, Perugino spent the last years of his life; and left some of his last works in the Church of the Annunciation existing in that small town.

Just one of them, however, has remained to embellish the walls of the little sacred building; it was even covered with lime for some time, and then brought back to light. It depicts Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, a work commissioned in 1522 by Agniolus Toni Angeli (that is “Angel, the son of Anthony Angel”), as reported by an inscription in the lower section of it. It was painted by Perugino in 1523.

Structure and state of preservation

There appear obvious marks of time on the painting; but although its colors have faded, the composition can still be made out.

Virgin Mary is seated on a wood bench – thanks to an ingenious play with perspective, the corners of the bench seem to protrude out of the general frame, making the picture three-dimensional. She wears a dress that should have originally been rosy or red, with a blue cloak on her shoulders. Jesus stands on his mother’s legs, one little hand akimbo, the other hand apparently grasping Mary’s dress so as to support himself on his feet, in a very natural attitude.

Perugino’s technique and style

The faces exhibit that sweetness that was typical of the painter’s later works: languishing eyes, heads slightly bowing, and a touch of melancholy. The landscape behind the figures can still be partially appreciated in its atmospheric perspective: the sky looks clearer on the horizon and darker above, precisely the way the human eye perceives it.

This painting has been put in relationship with the Virgin Mary enthroned, between Saint Blaise and Saint Catherine of Alexandria in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary’s major church) in Spello, in the Perugia territory. This was painted by Perugino in 1521, not much earlier than the one in Fontignano; in both cases he obviously used the same cartoon in order to outline Mary and her Child.

The last phase in Perugino’s life and art

The Virgin-Mary painting in Fontignano is among the master’s last works, painted just few months before his death.

In the Church of the Annunciation, Perugino had authored five frescoes. The only other one we have trustworthy pieces of information about is The Adoration of the Shepherds (1523), that was completed by his pupils after his death. After having been detached and sold in the mid-nineteenth century, it is currently on exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Three frescoes – Saint Roche, Saint Sebastian, and another Virgin Mary – do not belong to their original place any longer, and are considered to be lost.

Finally, another strong link exists between this sacred building and Perugino: his mortal remains are in fact buried in the Church of the Annunciation, inside a white urn made in 1929.

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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

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Mezzo busto della Madonna delle Grazie. Sopra la sua testa un’aureola dorata con applicazioni a formare una preziosa corona. Le mani sono vicine al petto, con i palmi rivolti verso lo spettatore. Il volto della Vergine è dolce e tranquillo, la sua testa coperta da un lungo manto adornato con delle stelle che scende oltre le spalle ed è appuntato da una spilla sopra il petto. Sul suo collo c’è una piccola croce. Ai lati del dipinto si vedono i rivestimenti dorati del tabernacolo in cui è conservata l’opera.

Perugino´s “Our Lady of Graces” in Saint Lawrence´s Cathedral

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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

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