Key to Umbria: Perugia
 

14th Century

Frescoes from San Francesco al Prato (14th century)

These frescoes, which were re-discovered on the altar wall of the crypt of San Francesco al Prato in 1888 and detached in the 1920s, are the autograph works of the so-called Maestro di San Francesco al Prato

  1. Those on the altar wall depicted the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St John the Evangelist, with four Franciscan saints to the sides:

  2. SS Louis of Toulouse and francis on the left; and

  3. SS Clare and Antony of Padua on the right.

  4. They were detached in 1933 and are now in the deposit of the gallery.

  5. Those on the side walls depict:

  6. the Marriage of the Virgin; and

  7. the Dormition of the Virgin.

  8. They were detached in 1921-7 and are now in Room 1.

Frescoes from Sant’ Elisabetta (14th century)

A number of frescoes that were detached in 1903 prior to demolition of Sant’ Elisabetta are now in the gallery.  They include this one, which depicts the crucifixion of St Peter, and which was transferred to canvas in 1954.





A number of other fragments in the collection of the gallery are described and illustrated in the website of Musei d’ Italia.  They included the important depiction of the “miracle of the roses”, which is among a number that are attributed to the Maestro Ironico: in the legend, Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, catches his wife, St Elizabeth of Hungary taking food for the poor against his orders but, as he points an accusing finger, the food changes to roses.

Martyrdom of St Juliana (late 14th century) 

This fresco, which from a lunette in the nunnery of Santa Giuliana, was detached in 1862 and entered the gallery a year later.  It depicts St Juliana hanging by her hair.  She is comforted by an angel, while three men inflict further tortures: one pours molten lead over her while the other two beat her with clubs.

Benedetto Bonfigli

Pairs of Saints (1467-8)

Giorgio Vasari referred in 1568 to two altarpieces in San Domenico by Benedetto Bonfigli:

  1. one of which depicted the Adoration of the Magi (see above); and

  2. the other of which depicted "many saints". 

This second altarpiece was probably associated with a payment made to Benedetto Bonfigli and Bartolomeo Caporali in 1467-8 according to the will of a merchant, Francesco di Pietro for an altarpiece for the Cappella di San Vicenzo Ferrer (the 2nd on the left in the nave). 

Four panels that probably belonged to this second altarpiece were moved from the sacristy of San Domenico to the Galleria Nazionale in 1863:

  1. Two panels of the figures of the Annunciation (illustrated above), which are attributed to Bartolomeo Caporali, are exhibited in Room 16.  The proposed dating is supported for the first two panels by the fact that some of the details of the Virgin’s study seem to have been inspired by the Gonfalone dell’ Annunziata (1466), which is attributed to Nicolò di Liberatore, l’ Alunno  and which is now now in Room 12 of the gallery. 

  2. Two panels of pairs of saints, which are attributed to Benedetto Bonfigli, are now in the deposit of the gallery.  They might have flanked a central figure of St Vincent Ferrer, thus justifying Vasari's description. 

Angels with instruments of the Passion (15th century)

These four panels, have recently been attributed to Benedetto Bonfigli, came to the gallery in 1863 as two pairs:

  1. one pair from the Accademia di Belle Arte; and

  2. the other from the sacristy of San Francesco al Prato.

Each panel depicts a pair of angels holding instruments of the Passion of Christ. They probably came originally from a niche in San Francesco al Prato that housed a Crucifix or a statue of the Pietà. 

Perugino

St Francis and penitents (1499)     

The archives of the Confraternita di San Francesco record a series of payments to Perugino for “uno drappellone”, which was almost certainly this image on silk from the Oratorio di San Francesco.  A modest work like this is likely to have been a workshop production, a hypothesis supported by the fact that one of the payments was made into the hands of the young apprentice, Giovanni Francesco Ciambella (il Fantasia).  It was transferred to the gallery in the mid-19th century

The drape portrays the standing St Francis with four kneeling penitents behind him, against a backdrop of golden silk brocade.  The saint holds a cross and a closed book, and all of his stigmata are visible.   

Martyrdom of St Sebastian (1518)

Giuliano and Sinibaldo Martinello commissioned this altarpiece from Perugino in 1505 for their chapel in San Francesco al Prato.  It was not completed until 1518, the date inscribed on the base of the column to which the saint is tied, and Perugino was forced to litigate in 1520 to obtain the final payment. The altarpiece was moved from its original location at some time in the 16th century, and subsequently suffered serious damage.  It therefore escaped requisition by the French, and was transferred to the gallery in 1863. 

The panel depicts the saint tied to a column in an architectural setting.  Two archers take aim, while two flying angels witness the scene.  The composition is a reduced version of the fresco (1505) that Perugino executed for the church of San Sebastiano, Panicale.

Blessed James of the Marche (16th century)

This banner, which is attributed to Perugino, came from the Oratorio dei SS Girolamo, Francesco e Bernardino.  It depicts the Blessed James of the Marche holding a reliquary of the Blood of Christ.  It belonged to a confraternity that the Blessed James had founded in 1445.  It was noted in an inventory of the possessions of the confraternity in 1532, but not in an earlier one from 1517, suggesting that it was commissioned thereafter.  The oratory was demolished in 1797, at which point the banner was moved into the adjacent church.  It was moved to the Accademia di Belle Arte in 1810.

Workshop of 1496

An important document dated 1496 records that a group of artists formed a joint workshop in Perugia and took a year's lease on a workshop near the Porta Eburnea.  They included:

  1. Eusebio da San Giorgio;

  2. Berto di Giovanni, who collected a payment on behalf of Perugino in 1494 for the panel of the Pietà that was part of the Decemviri Altarpiece;

  3. Sinibaldo Ibi; and

  4. Ludovico di Angelo.

The following works in the deposit of the gallery are by or attributed to one or more of these artists.

Madonna and Child with donor (1492)

The inscription at the base of this panel reveals that it was commissioned by a Benedictine nun, Giacoma di Baldo Perigli as an ex voto offering.  It is sometimes attributed to Bernardino di Mariotto, but has more recently been attributed to his teacher, Ludovico di Angelo.  It was transferred from San Francesco delle Donne to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810.

The panel depicts the Madonna and Child, with a nun kneeling to the left.  She must be Sister Giacoma di Baldo Perigli, who was presumably a member of the community at San Francesco delle Donne. 

Madonna degli Alberelli (1508-9)

This altarpiece from the Oratorio di San Benedetto was first recorded as the subject of a dispute between the Confraternita di San Benedetto and Eusebio da San Giorgio in 1509, which resulted in an additional payment to the artist.  He also had another dispute at this time with Giovanni Battista Bastoni, which related to the late delivery of a wooden frame, probably for the same commission.

The altarpiece, which depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS John the Baptist and Benedict, takes its names from the trees that flank the throne.  It seems to have been removed from its original frame in the 16th century and placed in the stucco frame that survives in the ex-oratory.  The altarpiece was moved to the gallery in 1863 (and replaced by a black and white copy that survives in situ).  It was restored in 1960. 

Madonna and Child with saints (1509) 

This altarpiece from Sant’ Agostino, which is dated by inscription, seems to be the work that Bartolomeo di Lorenzo commissioned from Eusebio da San Giorgio in 1506 for his family chapel there.   The contract specified that it should be similar to what is now known as the Tezi Altarpiece (1500) by Perugino, which was also in Sant’ Agostino).

The altarpiece, , which depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Peter, Catherine of Alexandria, Agatha and Paul and two praying angels above, was probably the work that was specified as being underway in Eusebio’s workshop in Perugia in the contract he signed in 1507 for the completion of the altarpiece by Pintoricchio in Sant’ Andrea, Spello: the contract allowed him to complete this existing commission but precluded him from leaving Spello for any other reason.  The initials “LA SI” at the end of the inscription giving the date might indicate the involvement of two other members of the Workshop of 1496: Ludovico di Angelo and Sinibaldo Ibi

Madonna and Child enthroned with saints (1510)

The Confraternita di Sant’ Agostino commissioned this altarpiece, which is dated by inscription, from Berto di Giovanni and Sinibaldo Ibi for the Oratorio di Sant' Agostino. The altarpiece, which depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Augustine and Sebastian, was moved to the sacristy, possibly when the oratory was remodelled in the 17th century.  The confraternity gave it to the gallery in 1872. 

SS Antony Abbot, Francis and Bernardino (ca. 1513)

This altarpiece seems to have been commissioned from Eusebio da San Giorgio in 1513 for San Francesco al Prato according to the will of Carlo Berardelli. 

  1. Its main panel depicts St Antony Abbot enthroned with SS Francis and Bernardino of Siena.  The Madonna and Child above are enthroned on clouds and surrounded by cherubs.  It passed to the gallery in 1863 and is now in deposit.

  2. A recently discovered predella panel attributed to Berto di Giovanni that is now also the Galleria Nazionale (Room 27) seems to have belonged to this altarpiece.  It depicts the Pietà with St Mary Magdalene and a female martyr in tondi.

Madonna and Child with saints (1515)

Antonio and the heirs of Bernardino di Piergiovanni de Catrano (who belonged to a cadet Benincasa branch of the Ansidei family) commissioned this altarpiece from Sinibaldo Ibi for the Cappella del Beato Filippo Benizi in San Fiorenzo, which they endowed in 1515. 

  1. The main panel, which depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS John the Baptist, Philip Benizi, Florentius and Joseph, passed to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810. 

  2. The predella, which seems to have included a panel of the Marriage of the Virgin, has been lost.

Madonna and Child with saints (1543)

According to the inscriptions, Luca Alberto Podiani commissioned this altarpiece, which is dated by inscription.  [Luca Alberto Podiani (1474-1551) was a celebrated doctor and scholar, rector of the Sapienza Vecchia in the period 1504-20.]  The altarpiece, which is attributed to Sinibaldo Ibi, depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Francis and Leonard.  Two flying angels above who hold a crown above the head of the Madonna.

The altarpiece entered the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810.  There are at least two possibilities for its original location:

  1. the Convento di Monteripido, where, according to his will of 1548, Luca wished to be buried; or

  2. Sant’ Agostino, where Luca was actually buried in 1555, in his family chapel that was dedicated to St Leonard.

Madonna and Child with saints (ca. 1518)

This altarpiece was recorded in the 18th century in the sacristy of the Convento di Monteripido, and passed to the gallery in 1863.  It depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned in a landscape, flanked by the kneeling SS James and Francis.  Two flying angels hold a crown above the head of the Madonna.

This panel seems to have been the object of a dispute between Friar Pietro da Castello and Perugino that was settled in 1518.  It seems that, although Perugino had received the commission, the panel was actually painted by another artist.   Laura Teza , who published the relevant document (reference in the page on the artist), attributes it to Berto di Giovanni.

Annunciation (1525-8) 

This altarpiece, which is signed by Sinibaldo Ibi and dated 1528, was commissioned by the procurators of the Ospedale di Santa Maria Annunziata, the hospice owned by the Collegio dei Notai (the notaries’ guild).  It was destined for the chapel in the hospice.  On receipt of the altarpiece, the procurators commissioned its frame from Giovanni Battista Bastoni, to a design by Sinibaldo Ibi. 

The altarpiece was subsequently moved to the Collegio dei Notai, probably in 1588 before that building was partly demolished, changing places with another altarpiece of the same subject that is attributed to Benedetto Bonfigli.  The altarpiece by Sinibaldo Ibi seems to have returned to its original location in the early 19th century, and entered the gallery in 1863.  Its original frame no longer survives. 

Adoration of the Magi (1538) 

This damaged detached fresco, which is attributed to Sinibaldo Ibi and used to be dated by an inscription, was transferred to the gallery from the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Misericordia in 1879.

Giannicola di Paolo

Crucifixion (1501?)

This fresco was detached from the wall behind the altar of the Oratorio di San Domenico in the 18th century.  It entered the gallery in 1878 and was transferred on to canvas in 1947.  It depicts the monumental body of Christ on the Cross, and is  set in a landscape.

The fresco has traditionally been associated with the work that was the subject of a payment by the Confraternita di San Domenico to Giannicola di Paolo in 1501.  However, this attribution remains a matter for debate.  For example, the work has also been attributed to Pompeo Cocchi.  The date has also been called into question, not least because the landscape seems to be based on that in the Adoration of the Magi (1504) by Perugino in the Oratorio di Santa Maria dei Bianchi, Città della Pieve.

Crucifixion (early 16th century)

This fresco, which was detached from the wall of the Prior’s apartment in the Abbazia di San Severo in 1863, is attributed to Giannicola di Paolo

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (1530-2)

Antonio di Luca commissioned this altarpiece in 1530 for his chapel (the Cappella di San Luca) in San Francesco al Prato, and he made the final payment for it in 1532.   This is one of three works by Giannicola di Paolo cited by Giorgio Vasari.  It was recorded in the early 19th century in the Oratorio di San Bernardino, by which time it was badly damaged.  It entered the gallery in 1810.

Incredulity of St Thomas (1530s)

This altarpiece, which is attributed to Giannicola di Paolo and dated on stylistic grounds to the 1530s, came from the Monastero di San Tommaso.  It was on the high altar of the church until 1879, when it was moved to the gallery.   It depicts the risen Christ standing in a landscape, while St Thomas examines the wound in His side and St John the Evangelist records the scene for his gospel.  To the right, SS George, Benedict and Antony Abbot look on.  The figures of SS Dominic and Antony Aquinas to the left were added later, almost certainly after 1555, when the nuns were transferred from the Cistercian to the Dominican Order: they possibly replaced an original figure of St Bernard of Clairvaux, the Cistercian founder.

The altarpiece was replaced by a copy (1881) by Ludovico Caselli, which the nuns took with them when they moved to the Monastero della Beata Colomba in Corso Garibaldi.  It is now on the left wall of the church there. 

Mariano di Ser Austerio

Altarpiece of the Nativity (ca. 1510)

The lay sisters of the Compagnia di Nostra Donna commissioned this altarpiece from Giovanni di Pietro, lo Spagna for their altar in Sant’ Antonio Abate.  However, he completed only the central panel, and the sisters commissioned the lunette and predella panels from Mariano di Ser Austerio in 1510.  The Olivetans took the altarpiece to Montemorcino Nuovo in 1740 and it subsequently passed to the Accademia di Belle Arti.

  1. The main panel, which depicts the Nativity, was given to the Joseph Marie de Gérando, a French administrator in Rome.  His heirs subsequently sold it to the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

  2. The lunette, which depicts God the Father and four angels, is now in the deposit of the gallery.

  3. So too are the lunette panels, which depict:

  4. the Madonna della Misericordia protecting the lay sisters under her cloak, at the centre; and

  5. St Antony Abbot and another male saint, to the sides.

Crucifixion (1522)

This fresco came from the Oratorio di Santa Maria della Consolazione in what is now Corso Garibaldi.   It is dated by an inscription at the base of the cross.  The confraternity that had built the oratory and presumably commissioned the fresco was suppressed in 1797.  It was revived in 1801, at which point it was merged with the Confraternita di San Pietro Martire and moved to its headquarters.  The fresco was detached from a wall in the abandoned oratory in Corso Garibaldi in 1819.  The fresco was documented in 1791, with an attribution to Pompeo Cocchi.  This attribution was sustained until comparatively recently.  However, recent scholarship has attributed it to Mariano di Ser Austerio, in part because of similarities between this work and the signed fresco fragment discussed below.

Fragments of a Crucifixion (16th century)

These two damaged, detached fresco fragments from San Girolamo, which were housed in Sant’ Agata in the period 1920-54, depict:

  1. St Mary Magdalene and a male saint; and

  2. a group of mourning women.

They were documented in 1885 and again in 1921, at which point the signature of Mariano di Ser Austerio was recorded on the first of them.

Bernardino di Mariotto

Altarpiece of the Olivetans (1533)

The inscription records that Andrea di Narduccio gave this altarpiece to “the brothers” (i.e. the Olivetan monks of San Secondo, Isole Polvese del Trasimeno) in 1533.  It is attributed to Bernardino di Mariotto.  When the monks abandoned San Secondo in 1624 for Sant’ Antonio Abate, Perugia, they brought the altarpiece with them.  It was recorded there in the 19th century, but it seems to have passed to the Camaldolesian church of San Severo before its entry into the Galleria Nazionale in 1863.  

The altarpiece depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Andrew (the name saint of the donor) and Julian.  According to a late tradition, the latter is a portrait of Gianpaolo Baglioni.

Madonna and Child with Saints (16th century)

This panel, which is attributed to Bernardino di Mariotto, passed from San Francesco delle Donne to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810.  It depicts the Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist and SS Benedict and Francis.

Domenico Alfani

Holy Family (1520 or 1522?)

This panel, which came from the high altar of San Simone del Carmine, is attributed to Pompeo d' Anselmo and Domenico Alfani on the basis of an inscription that is not easy to interpret.  This inscription also dates the panel to 1520 or 1522.  The design of the central figure group is taken from the sketch (ca. 1507) mentioned above that Raphael sent to Domenico Alfani.  This sketch is now in the Musée des Beaux Arts, Lille

The panel was removed from its altar in 1813 for dispatch to Rome (probably because it was then attributed to Perugino).   However, it was subsequently decided that it should stay in the church, and it was re-installed early in the following year.  It entered the gallery in 1863.

The altarpiece depicts the Virgin seated in a landscape.  The standing baby Jesus leans across her lap to take a pomegranate from St Joseph, who is seated nearby.  The young St John the Baptist draws the viewer's attention to this act, which foreshadows the Passion.  The Virgin's parents, SS Anne and Joachim stand to the sides.   Putti play in the clouds, below the Holy Spirit represented as a dove.

Madonna and Child with saints (1524)

Severo di Paride Petrini commissioned this altarpiece, which is dated by inscription, from Domenico Alfani for his family chapel in the right wall of Sant’ Agostino.  The final payment for the work was delayed until 1541.  The altarpiece was removed from the chapel in 1799 church and passed to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810.   

The altarpiece depicts the enthroned Madonna crowned by angels holding the hand of the standing, naked baby Jesus, with SS Peter, Paul, Nicholas of Bari and Lucy.

Madonna and Child with saints (1532)

This altarpiece, which is signed by Domenico Alfani and dated by inscription, came from Santa Giuliana.   Agostino Tofanelli, the Director of the Musei Capitolini took the altarpiece to Rome in 1811, and it was returned to the church in 1815.  It was transferred to the gallery in 1863. 

  1. The main panel depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS John the Baptist and Juliana. 

  2. The predella depicts scenes from the martyrdom of St Juliana.

Madonna and Child with saints (16th century)

This altarpiece is attributed to Domenico Alfani, came from San Francesco al Prato.  It was one of three works in the church that Napoleon's commissioner, Jacques-Pierre Tinet selected for confiscation under the Treaty of Tolentino (1797).  Antonio Canova recovered it in 1815 and it was returned to the church. 

  1. The main panel depicts the Madonna and Child with St Joseph and the young St John the Baptist, with SS Francis and Antony of Padua kneeling below.  It was transferred to the gallery in 1863. 

  2. The predella, which does not seem to have been sent to France, has been lost. 

Orazio Alfani

Madonna degli Alessandri (1551)

The inscription records that Felice de’ Alessandri commissioned this altarpiece in 1551.  It was documented in the church of San Valentino in the 18th century and moved to what became SS Stefano e Valentino when San Valentino was suppressed in 1819.  It was subsequently sold to the Accademia di Belle Arti and is now in the gallery.

The altarpiece, which is attributed to Orazio Alfani, depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Andrew and Antony of Padua. 

Detached frescoes (ca. 1551)

These five frescoes, which came from two niches in San Valentino, were detached at an unknown time and transferred to canvas.  They are now in the gallery, and might well have arrived there via SS Stefano e Valentino , like the Madonna degli Alessandri (above).  These frescoes, which are also attributed to Orazio Alfani, depict:

  1. St Dominic;

  2. St Francis;

  3. St Thomas Aquinas;

  4. St Sebastian; and

  5. God the Father.

Crucifixion with saints (1553)

Pietro di Matteo commissioned this altarpiece in 1553 from Domenico Alfani and Orazio Alfani for his altar in San Francesco al Prato.  Its wooden frame (now lost) was commissioned by the artists from Eusebio Bastoni.  The altarpiece, which is usually attributed to to Orazio Alfani, depicts the Crucifixion with SS Jerome and Apollonia.  It was removed from the church in 1863.

Panels from San Francesco al Prato (16th century)

The gallery contains two other panels from San Francesco al Prato that are attributed to Orazio Alfani, both of which were removed in 1863.  They depict:

  1. St Michael destroying the seven deadly sins; and

  2. Christ disputing with the doctors in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Deposition of Christ (16th century)

This altarpiece, which was moved from San Tommaso in 1863, is somewhat tentatively attributed to Orazio Alfani.  It was badly restored and partly overpainted in 1935-40.

Dono Doni

Immaculate Conception (1558)

Marsia di Ridolfo commissioned this altarpiece from Dono Doni for her altar in San Francesco al Prato.  It depicts the standing Virgin surrounded by angels, with a collection of prophets, sibyls and scholars below.  A scroll under her feet proclaims her immaculate conception.  It was removed in 1863 and entered the gallery in 1872.

Last Judgement (16th century)

This altarpiece, which is attributed to Dono Doni, was recorded in the Cappella degli Baldeschi in San Francesco al Prato in 1683.  It was moved to the choir during the restoration of 1740-8.  It was removed in 1863.

Other Artists

Altarpiece of the Blessed Giles (ca. 1439)

This altarpiece, which is attributed to Mariano di Antonio, was commissioned in ca. 1439 for the new altar of the shrine of the Blessed Giles in San Francesco al Prato.  According to tradition, it was painted on the wooden panel upon which Giles’ body had been carried for burial from his hermitage on the site that later became the Convento di Monteripido to San Francesco al Prato. 

The altarpiece was replaced on the altar and moved to the sacristy in ca. 1513.  It was removed from the church in 1863, and was already damaged when it entered the gallery in 1872.  It suffered further during its stay in the Convento di Monteripido in the period 1923-54.

The altarpiece (which is illustrated in the website Cultura Italia) depicts the Blessed Giles standing in a fictive aedicule, with three scenes from his life and posthumous miracles to each side.  This format was consciously archaic and based on that of a number of panels that had been produced in the 13th century to celebrate the canonisation of St Francis.  One of the better-preserved narrative scenes, which depicts a miracle occurring beside the sarcophagus shortly after Giles had died, is important for our understanding of the original arrangement of the cult site. 

Frescoes from San Nicolò (1498)   

These damaged frescoes, which are dated by inscription and attributed to Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, came from the parish church of San Nicolò, which later became San Giorgio dei Tessitori.  They were detached in 1878, just before the church was demolished to make way for the Istituto di Pena Maschile.

The surviving fragments exhibited in Room 24 depict:

  1. the mystic marriage of St Catherine, with St Nicholas of Bari; and

  2. the Nativity, in which  the new born baby Jesus lies naked in a meadow in front of the stable, venerated by the kneeling Virgin and St Josep.

Other fragments in the deposit of the gallery depict figures of SS Sebastian, Francis and John the Baptist.

Panels from San Tommaso (15th century)

These panels, which are attributed to Giovanni Boccati, came from the Dominican Monastero di San Tommaso.  The panels, which are of similar dimensions, both depict the Madonna with musical angels:

  1. The panel of the Madonna del Latte, in which the Madonna breast feeds the baby Jesus, was first documented when it was moved to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1810.

  2. The heavily repainted panel of the Madonna dei Raccomandati, in which the Madonna shields a number of kneeling lay people under her cloak, remained in the choir of the church until ca. 1880, when it was moved to gallery.

Both panels are illustrated in schedules 32-3 in the catalogue entry by Mauro Minardi referenced in the page on the artist.

Madonna and Child with saints (15th century)

This polyptych from the Camaldolesian Monastero della SS Trinità, which is attributed to Pietro di Nicola Baroni, was taken to San Severo in 1793  and subsequently passed to the gallery.  It depicts the Madonna and Child and SS Catherine of Alexandria, Benedict, John the Baptist and Severus in the panels to the sides.  The predella panels depict SS Louis of Toulouse, Romuald, Francis and Rinaldo: the central predella panel has been lost.  The polyptych is illustrated in the site of the Fondazione Federico Zeri.

St Francis receives the stigmata (ca. 1500)    

This fresco, which was detached from the facade of the Convento di Monteripido in 1858 and moved to the gallery in 1863, is attributed to Giovanni di Pietro, lo Spagna.  It depicts St Francis kneeling in a landscape as a seraph nailed to a Cross appears to him in the sky above.  To the right, two of his companions obliviously continue reading.

Altarpiece of the Franciscans (1517)

This damaged work is signed by Luca Signorelli and dated by inscription, but seems to have been largely a workshop production.    It came from came from the Observant Franciscans' Convento di Sant’ Antonio di Padova, Paciano Vecchio, outside Perugia.  The work survives in its original frame: 

  1. The main panel depicts the Madonna and Child in glory with SS Michael, Laurence, Francis, Sebastian, Antony Abbot and Antony of Padua.  (The kneeling figures of SS Francis and Antony of Padua in the foreground could be by Signorelli himself).

  2. The predella patterns relate to four of the depicted saints:

  3. the dream of Pope Innocent III, in which St Francis supports the Church (represented by San Giovanni Laterano, Rome);

  4. the martyrdom of St Laurence;

  5. the meeting of SS Antony Abbot and Paul the Hermit in the Egyptian desert; and

  6. the miracle of St Antony of Padua and the dead miser's heart (which was found to contain his money, as the saint had predicted).

Santa Margherita Altarpiece (1547-9)

This altarpiece from the Camaldolesian nunnery of Santa Margherita was the subject of three payments made in 1547-8 to Lattanzio Pagani and the otherwise unknown Organtino di Mariano.  The date 1549 appears in the inscription.  The nunnery was suppressed in 1810 and demolished in 1815, and the altarpiece was subsequently moved to the gallery:

  1. The main panel, which depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Benedict and Bernard, is not thought to be the work of Lattanzio Pagani, and is thus presumably by Organtino di Mariano.

  2. The predella, which depicts the martyrdom of St Margaret and figures of SS Christopher and Catherine of Alexandria, is usually attributed solely to Lattanzio Pagani.

Trinity with the Virgin and Saints (1553)

In 1553, Lattanzio Pagani signed an undertaking with Sforza di Lionello degli Oddi, according to which he agreed to ensure that his father, Vincenzo Pagani and Tommaso Bernabei, il Papacello would paint this altarpiece for the Cappella degli Oddi in San Francesco al Prato.  The undertaking specified the presence of SS Francis, Antony of Padua, John the Baptist and Bernardino of Siena, although only the first three of these appeared in the delivered work.  It was transferred to the gallery in 1863 and is now the deposit there.  Although its poor condition makes attribution difficult, it is generally thought to be largely the work of il Papacello.  

Commissioning of the Chiesa del Gesù (ca. 1600)

This panel from the convent of the Chiesa del Gesù is attributed alternatively to Giulio Caporali or to the Venetian Pietro Malombra.  It depicts Cardinal Fulvio della Corgna delivering the design for the new church to the Jesuits in 1561.  The depiction of the facade of the church here was used in 1934, when the upper part of the facade was finally completed. 

St Didacus (Diego) of Alcalá (ca. 1600)

This panel from the Convento di Monteripido is signed by Simeone Ciburri.  It depicts the standing figure of St Diego of Alcalá carrying a cross and flanked by the Blessed Antony of Stroncone and the Blessed John of Stroncone.  Personifications of the Virtues of Humility, Purity and Patience are depicted above.  It is illustrated in the website of Musei d’ Italia.

Madonna and Child with saints (ca. 1610)

This small panel by Giovanni Antonio Scaramuccia, which was originally in San Domenico, passed to the gallery in 1863.  It depicts the Madonna and Child in glory: the Madonna passes a rosary to St Dominic while the baby Jesus is about to place a crown of roses on the head of the Blessed Colomba da Rieti, who holds her attribute, a dove.  The altarpiece was probably commissioned during the period 1610-2, which was a time of natural disasters in Perugia: the Blessed Colomba points to a putto that holds a plaque inscribed with the antiphon: “Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo” (Spare your people Lord).



San Domenico is prominent at the centre of the composition, with San Pietro to the left and the Rocca Paolina and the city centre to the right. 

St Florentius (1630)

This altarpiece from San Fiorenzo is attributed to Antonio Maria Fabrizi [and dated by inscription].

St Charles Borromeo (17th century)

This altarpiece, which is attributed to Giovanni Antonio Scaramuccia, came from the nunnery of Santa Giuliana.  It depicts the standing saint dressed as a cardinal, set against a cloth of honour held by putti.

Communion of St Bonaventure (17th century)

This panel from San Francesco al Prato is attributed to Simeone Ciburri.

SS Anna and Joacchim with the young Virgin Mary (1732)

This altarpiece from Santa Teresa degli Scalzi is signed by Francesco Mancini and dated by inscription.  A design for it is in the collection of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pesaro in Palazzo Montani-Antaldi, Pesaro.

St Bernard Tolomei helping victims of plague (1746)

This panel by Ludovico Mazzanti from the Monastero degli Olivetani di Montemorcino Nuovo depicts the work of the Olivetan St Bernard Tolomei during the Black Death in 1348.  (It is illustrated in the website Cultura Italia).

St John of the Cross (18th century)

This panel, which is of unknown provenance, is attributed to Francesco Busti.  The kneeling saint is surrounded by angels, one carrying a cross and one (a baby) carrying lilies.  This might be one of two (otherwise unknown) panels that Baldassarre Orsini attributed to this artist in his guide of 1784:

  1. a panel in Sant’ Angelo in Porta Eburnea, which he identified as portraying St John Nepomucen; or

  2. a panel in Santa Teresa, which he described as “St John of the Cross with many angels, and with the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ above” (although these upper figures are missing).


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Galleria Nazionale: Sala Podiani and Sala Conferenze    Rooms 1-3    Room 4

Rooms 5-6    Rooms 7-10    Rooms 11-16    Room 17    Rooms 18-20    Cappella dei Priori

Rooms 22-28    Rooms 29-32    Rooms 33-40    Deposit