Artwork
Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Domenico Veneziano. It dates from 1445 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.
About this work
Overview
The Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece is a tempera painting by Domenico Veneziano, created circa 1445–1447. Originally occupying the high altar of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli in Florence, it is now housed at the Uffizi Gallery. The work once included a predella, now dispersed across museums in Washington, Berlin, and Cambridge.
Subject & Meaning
Depicting the Madonna and Child surrounded by saints in a unified space, this altarpiece is identified as one of the earliest examples of a sacra conversazione. Central figures include the Madonna (in blue, crowned, and enthroned with the Child), a bishop (right, with book and staff), and two saints (left, a layman in a red sash and a monk in brown, both with hands raised in devotion).
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera, the painting features a vibrant color palette and gold details against a backdrop of tall arches. The composition emphasizes harmony and spatial coherence, characteristic of early Renaissance advancements in perspective and figure integration.
History & Provenance
Initially at the church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, Florence, the altarpiece was later relocated to the Uffizi Gallery. Its original predella was separated and distributed among the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Context
Created for a religious setting, the inclusion of a bishop and monk reflects its intended liturgical use. The work's innovative sacra conversazione format influenced subsequent depictions of the Madonna and saints in Renaissance art.
Artist & collection
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