Pentaptych, Santa Maria di Capodarco (Fermo)
In the church of Santa Maria di Capodarco, a town in Fermo, there is a pentaptych painted by Vittore Crivelli around 1480. The central panel, which is larger than the side panels, depicts the Madonna seated on a throne with her hands clasped, looking down at the Baby Jesus who is sleeping peacefully on her lap. The Virgin is wrapped in a beautiful yellow cloak with red decorations, edged with gold leaf and a blue strip with pseudo-Coptic inscriptions. The same panel also depicts two angels on either side of the throne, with garlands of foliage emerging above their heads.
The panels on either side depict various saints, starting from the left with Jerome, John the Baptist, Francis, and Blessed Angelo Clareno. The latter is a Franciscan saint who does not appear in many works, so it can be assumed that his representation was requested by the patron.
The figures are depicted on a gold background, applied using the gouache technique.
The work was first mentioned by Giulio Cantalamessa in 1892 and later by Luigi Serra (1929), who attributed it directly to Vittore Crivelli. The latter scholar hypothesizes that the altarpiece must also have consisted of an upper register, with a central projecting tabernacle, and a predella, a structure used by the painter in his works in Torre di Palma, San Severino, and Sant'Elpidio a Mare.
The polyptych was discussed in the first monograph on the artist, written by Sandra di Provvido in 1972.
Vittore Crivelli
Pentittico, 1480 ca
Madonna con il Bambino, S. Girolamo, S. Giovanni Battista, S. Francesco, il Beato Angelo Clareno
Tempera su tavola
Pannello centrale: 140×53 cm
Pannelli laterali: ciascuno 130×32 cm
Chiesa di Santa Maria
Piazza della Repubblica, 14
Fermo (FM) – Loc. Capodarco
Pentaptych, Santa Maria di Capodarco (Fermo)
In the church of Santa Maria di Capodarco, a town in Fermo, there is a pentaptych painted by Vittore Crivelli around 1480. The central panel, which is larger than the side panels, depicts the Madonna seated on a throne with her hands clasped, looking down at the Baby Jesus who is sleeping peacefully on her lap. The Virgin is wrapped in a beautiful yellow cloak with red decorations, edged with gold leaf and a blue strip with pseudo-Coptic inscriptions. The same panel also depicts two angels on either side of the throne, with garlands of foliage emerging above their heads.
The panels on either side depict various saints, starting from the left with Jerome, John the Baptist, Francis, and Blessed Angelo Clareno. The latter is a Franciscan saint who does not appear in many works, so it can be assumed that his representation was requested by the patron.
The figures are depicted on a gold background, applied using the gouache technique.
The work was first mentioned by Giulio Cantalamessa in 1892 and later by Luigi Serra (1929), who attributed it directly to Vittore Crivelli. The latter scholar hypothesizes that the altarpiece must also have consisted of an upper register, with a central projecting tabernacle, and a predella, a structure used by the painter in his works in Torre di Palma, San Severino, and Sant'Elpidio a Mare.
The polyptych was discussed in the first monograph on the artist, written by Sandra di Provvido in 1972.
