Galleria Nazionale

Patron Saints of Perugia (early 14th century)

These originally polychrome marble figures of SS Herculanus, Laurence and Constantius are sometimes attributed to Ambrogio Maitani, who was the chief architect of Perugia in the period 1317-46.  They were originally above the Portale dei Santi Patroni, the entrance to the Palazzo dei Priori in Corso Vannucci.  They were removed for restoration in 1993 and replaced by copies.

Madonna di Sant' Agostino (early 14th century)

This polychrome wooden figure of the Madonna and Child, which is sometimes attributed to Ambrogio Maitani, was a originally in Sant’ Agostino.  In the 16th century, it was housed in a niche in the pilaster between the choir and the Cappella di San Martino in the right transept, the decoration of which was financed by the Cantagallina family.   It was moved to another location in the church during the remodelling of 1803 and was subsequently moved to the convent for reasons of security.  It entered the gallery in 1958.

The Madonna is modelled as a full-length figure in regal costume, wearing a crown and carrying the baby Jesus on her hip.  He is also regally dressed, and He holds a bird in His right hand (probably a finch, which is a symbol of the Passion).  The image seems to have been an object of particular veneration.  Recent restoration has revealed the original polychrome decoration, which is in a good state of preservation that is unusual in a work of this age. 

Panels from Montelabate (ca 1330)

These two double-sided panels, which are the autograph works of the Maestro dei Dossali di Montelabate, came from the Abbazia di Santa Maria di Valdiponte, Montelabate, outside Perugia.  Their original locations are unknown, but they were recorded in 1850 above the choir screen.  They entered the gallery in 1863.

The panels depict:

• St Herculanus holding a model of the Duomo, with St Peter (dressed as a bishop and holding the key to Heaven) on the back; and

• St Laurence, with St Paul (badly damaged) on the back.

The panel of St Herculanus is particularly important for its depiction of what is now Piazza IV Novembre as it was in the 14th century.

Madonna and Child with saints (ca. 1330)

This dossal, which has recently been attributed to the Maestro dei Dossali di Montelabate, was moved from the nuns’ choir of San Tommaso to the gallery in 1879.  It depicts the Madonna and Child with SS Agnes, James, Francis and Catherine of Alexandria.

Dossal (early 14th century)

These two panels from what was originally a double-sided dossal entered the gallery from the Convento di Sant’ Antonio di Padova, Paciano Vecchio, outside Perugia in 1872.  They are dated on stylistic grounds to the early 14th century and are the autograph works of the so-called Maestro di Paciano. 

In fact, the Convento di Sant’ Antonio did not exist until 1496, so it was clearly not the dossal's original location.  It is possible that it was originally commissioned for the Convento di Monteripido, which, like Sant' Antonio, belonged to the Observant Franciscans.  The friars of Monteripido commissioned another double-sided altarpiece (link) of similar width in 1502; they may have passed their original altarpiece to Sant' Antonio at that point.

The front of the dossal depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with angels, with four saints in fictive aedicules to each side:

• SS Michael Archangel (perhaps because Monteripido is just outside Porta Sant' Angelo), Clare, Francis (who holds a text that refers to his stigmatisation) and Peter on the left; and

• SS Paul, Louis of Toulouse, Antony of Padua and Mary Magdalene (represented as a hermit, clothed only in her long hair) on the right.

Unusually, the baby Jesus wears a triple-knotted cord around His waist, a reference to the Franciscan habit.  Two figures kneel before the throne:

• a layman, presumably the donor, on the left; and

• a Franciscan on the right.  He wears a patched cloak over his habit and has a rayonant halo that suggests that he has been beatified.  If the hypothesis as to the original location of the dossal is correct, this figure is almost certainly the Blessed Giles, the early Franciscan who lived on the site of the later Convento di Monteripido.

The back of the dossal, which is damaged, originally depicted five scenes from the Passion.  The central one, which was almost certainly a Crucifixion, has been completely lost.

Panels from a triptych (early 14th century)

These two panels, which are attributed to the Maestro di Paciano, were recorded in the sacristy of the Oratorio di San Francesco in the 19th century and passed to the gallery in 1869.  They probably formed the outer parts of a triptych.  The iconography of the narrative scenes depends upon that of frescoes (ca. 1320) in the south transept of the lower church of San Francesco, Assisi.  This suggests that the triptych was commissioned in the early 1320s, soon after the formation of the Confraternita di San Francesco.  It might have been the altarpiece listed in an inventory of its possessions that was made in 1326.

The surviving panels depict:

• the Adoration of the Magi with three figures above: the Archangel Gabriel, St Peter Martyr and St Francis.

• the Presentation of Christ with three figures above: St Louis of Toulouse, St Dominic and the Virgin Annunciate.

The presence of both Franciscan and Dominican saints in the panels is explained by the fact the confraternities in Perugia that were dedicated respectively to SS Francis and Dominic were closely associated.

Crucifix (early 14th century)

This painted Crucifix, which is by a follower of Giotto, was first recorded as part of the Perkins Collection and was donated to the gallery in 1964.

Madonna and Child (early 14th century)

This small devotional panel, which entered the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810 from an unknown location, is the autograph work of the Maestro della Madonna di Perugia.  The frame, which is original, contains the marks of hinges that suggest it originally had wooded shutters.

The half-length Madonna and Child are set against gold background.  The baby Jesus, who wears a red tunic and sandals, reaches up and clasps the chin of the Madonna in a naturalistic gesture that is in sharp contrast with the otherwise iconic feel of the composition.

Madonna and Child and Crucifixion (ca. 1340)

This small painting on parchment, which  might once have formed the back of a tabernacle, has recently been attributed to Puccio Capanna.  It entered the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810 from an unknown location. 

The two main scenes depict:

• the Madonna and Child enthroned, with angels (on the left) and

• the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St John the Evangelist (on the right).

Each of these images is surrounded by figures of saints, including a number of Franciscans.

Stained glass (ca. 1345)

This stained glass, the design of which is attributed to Giovanni di Bonino, was removed  from the window of the sacristy of Sant' Agostino in 1863 and entered the gallery in 1879.  It depicts the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St John the Evangelist.

Triptych (ca. 1365)

The damaged triptych, which is attributed to Bartolo di Fredi, was first documented in 1810, when it was transferred from San Simone del Carmine to the Accademia di Belle Arti.   The inclusion of the prophet Elijah (see below) suggests that the work was commissioned for the church.  (Elijah was regarded as the founder of the Carmelites, and his representation here as a saint wearing the Carmelite habit followed the precedent of the important polyptych (1329) that Pietro Lorenzetti had painted for the Carmelites of Siena). 

The Perugia triptych is usually dated to the 1360s on stylistic grounds, although it might have been commissioned after the rebuilding of the church in 1377.  There is no record of the artist’s presence in Perugia, and it could have been painted in Siena. 

The main panels in this triptych depict:

• the Madonna and Child enthroned;

• an Apostle, St Catherine of Alexandria and a kneeling angel on the left; and

• St Mary Magdalene, Elijah and a kneeling angel on the right.

There are three gables over each of the panels, although the content of those over the central panel has been lost.  The other gables depict:

• the Archangel Gabriel flanked by angels (on the left); and

• the Virgin Annunciate flanked by angels (on the right).

Panels from a polyptych (1324)

These three panels, which are from a polyptych that is attributed to Mello da Gubbio, came from the Serristori Collection, Florence.  They are otherwise of unknown provenance.  They comprise:

• the central panel depicting the Madonna and Child: and
  

• two side panels depicting SS John the Evangelist and Catherine of Alexandria. 
  

Other panels from this polyptych in the Museo Civico of Forlì depict SS Gregory and Mary Magdalene. 

Madonna and Child enthroned with angels (ca. 1400)

This important panel, which is attributed to the Maestro della Dormitio di Terni, is of unknown provenance.  It was probably the central panel of a triptych or polyptych.  The upper part of the panel has clearly been reconstructed.

Portable triptych (ca. 1380)

This small devotional triptych, which is attributed to Jacopo di Mino del Pellicciaio, was transferred to the gallery from San Domenico in 1863.  It depicts:

• the mystical marriage of St Catherine, with St Ansanus, with God the Father above (in the central panel):

• St Mary Magdalene, with the Archangel Gabriel above (on the left); and

• St Elizabeth of Hungary (who had been canonised in San Domenico in 1235), with the Virgin Annunciate above (on the right).