Artwork
Copy after The Transfiguration, Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco (Florence)
Copy after The Transfiguration, Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco (Florence) is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Fra Angelico. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour is a 19th-century copy by Eduard Kaiser of Fra Angelico's fresco 'The Transfiguration' from the Convento di San Marco in Florence, created for the Arundel Society to disseminate Renaissance art knowledge.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork depicts a pivotal religious moment: a monk (likely representing a spiritual state) aglow on a mountain, with awestruck figures below amidst a brightening sky, conveying spiritual illumination and wonder.
Technique & Style
Kaiser's watercolour technique aims to replicate Fra Angelico's characteristic use of luminous colour and light, inherent to the original 15th-century fresco, though the medium and era differ.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Arundel Society (founded 1848), this copy was published as a chromolithograph in 1870 (Museum No.24748), facilitating widespread access to Fra Angelico's work during a surge of interest in 'primitives'.
Context
The original fresco, part of the Convento di San Marco's decorative scheme (designed by Michelozzo, decorated by Fra Angelico in the 1440s), was not just for public areas but also for the monks' private quarters, including Fra Angelico's own.
Artist & collection
Artist
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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