The coronation of the Virgin, and saints
Giovanni di Tani Fei (14th century)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
[Museum inv. no.: 50.229.2]
Item location
Description
The only Gothic altarpiece in the Metropolitan’s collection with all of its components, this work was painted for Alderotto Brunelleschi’s chapel in the church of San Leo in Florence. He and his uncle Silvestro are portrayed in the predella. In the main panels are Saints Bernard and Sylvester, and Nicholas and Julian flank the central scene where Christ crowns his mother accompanied by angel musicians. The roundels above contain busts of unidentified prophets and of Christ. The scenes in the predella show the apostles Peter and Paul appearing to Constantine in a dream and Pope Sylvester baptizing Constantine, Sylvester raising the bull, and Sylvester binding the mouth of a poisonous dragon and resuscitating magicians killed by the dragon’s breath. On the central panel: Jesus Christ crowning the Virgin; at each side an angel playing instrument; the angel on the left side playing bowed string instrument (Fanciful shaped, vertically held, ornate sound holes) and the angel on the right side playing fiddle (back view).People as subjects
St. Mary (Blessed Virgin)Jesus Christ
Iconclass
73E792coronation of Mary by Christ
Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)
Stringed instruments [3101]Fiddle [3142]
RIdIM images
