Averoldi Polyptych
Encyclopedia
The Averoldi Polyptych is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance painter Titian
, dating to 1520-1522 and housed in the basilica church of Santi Nazario e Celso in Brescia
, northern Italy
.
It is signed "Ticianus Faciebat / MDXXII" on the column of the panel with St. Sebastian.
, to Titian at the time he was the official painter of the Republic of Venice
. The work was delivered in 1522, as testified by Titian's signature in the lower right panel. The large polyptych was placed at the high altar of the church of San Nazario e Celso of Brescia, then part of the Venetian mainland possessions, replacing another altarpiece by Vincenzo Foppa
(of which now a Nativity of Jesus remains in the church of Santa Maria Assunta at Chiesanuova
, as well as two side panels in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo
).
A first version of the St. Sebastian panel was offered to Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara
as a compensation for his late in the realization of the Bacchanalia. The Duke declined the offer, and the early St. Sebastian was perhaps sent to Mantua
, where one such painting is mentioned among the artworks sold by the Gonzaga to Charles I of England
, although it is no more more known afterwards.
Averoldi subsequently also started to complain about the lateness of delivery.
The panels are:
The work inspired several Brescian Renaissance painters, including Savoldo and Moretto
banner as an emblem of the Christian Catholic church. Under him is a group of soldiers with armors.
The work shows the influence of Raphael
's works such as the Transfiguration
(the centripetal position of Christ) and the fresco of the Deliverance of Saint Peter
for the quasi-night atmosphere Another possible influence is that of Danube school
, in details such as the landscape illumination and the northern European fashion of the ideal Jerusalem in the background.
, to which the church housing the altar was dedicated, on a gloomy background. Nazarius wear a shining armor, while his disciple, Celsus, is behind him. The kneeling donor is portrayed from profile, and is stylistically reminiscent of the depiction of Sigismondo de' Conti in Raphael's Madonna of Foligno. The influence of Titian's master, Giorgione
, is also visibile in the calm atmosphere and the dull colors.
's Punishment of Aman in the Sistine Chapel ceiling
, or from Raphael's Fire of Borgo
also in the Vatican. The arms are tied to a trunk at different heights, while the legs are also differently articulated due to the presence of a column section.
The saint's face resembles that of the Christ in the central panel, as well as that of Titian, who was thirty at the time.
In the background is an angel, who points at Sebastian and talks with St. Roch: in the Middle Ages, both the saints were evoked to protect against plagues, and indeed Roch's legs are uncovered to show the traces of the disease.
Two preparatory drawings of the panel exist: one (16.2 x 13.6 cm) is at the Kupferstichkabinett
of Berlin, and another (18.3 x 11.5 cm) is in the Städel
of Frankfurt
.
, with the angel on the left and the Virgin on the right, according to a scheme dating to the Middle Ages. Titian painted the two figures under a powerful light, in particular the angel which is illuminated from behind.
His figure is unrolling a cartouche with the Gospel words Ave Maria Gratia Plena.
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, dating to 1520-1522 and housed in the basilica church of Santi Nazario e Celso in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It is signed "Ticianus Faciebat / MDXXII" on the column of the panel with St. Sebastian.
History
The work was commissioned by Altobello Averoldi, papal legate in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, to Titian at the time he was the official painter of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
. The work was delivered in 1522, as testified by Titian's signature in the lower right panel. The large polyptych was placed at the high altar of the church of San Nazario e Celso of Brescia, then part of the Venetian mainland possessions, replacing another altarpiece by Vincenzo Foppa
Vincenzo Foppa
Vincenzo Foppa was a Northern-Italian Renaissance painter.He was an elderly contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci. Born at Bagnolo Mella, near Brescia in the Republic of Venice, he settled in Pavia around 1456, serving the dukes of Milan and emerging as one of the most prominent Lombard painters....
(of which now a Nativity of Jesus remains in the church of Santa Maria Assunta at Chiesanuova
Chiesanuova
Chiesanuova is a minor municipality of San Marino. It has a population of 1,029 inhabitants in an area of 5.46 km².-Geography:...
, as well as two side panels in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo
Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo
The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo is a public art collection in Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy, exhibiting mainly paintings by local artists from the 13th through 18th centuries....
).
A first version of the St. Sebastian panel was offered to Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
as a compensation for his late in the realization of the Bacchanalia. The Duke declined the offer, and the early St. Sebastian was perhaps sent to Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
, where one such painting is mentioned among the artworks sold by the Gonzaga to Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, although it is no more more known afterwards.
Averoldi subsequently also started to complain about the lateness of delivery.
Description
The use of compartment-divided polyptych, a solution rather old fashioned for the time, was surely an explicit demand of Averoldi. Titian obtained anyway a certain degree of unity, although not a spatial or architectural one as in the 15th century polyptychs: the Veneto painter adopted instead a chromatic-dynamic and light convergence towards the central scene.The panels are:
- Resurrection of Christ, 278x122 cm
- Saints Nazarius and Celsus with Donor, 170x65 cm
- Saint Sebastian, 170x65
- Angel of the Annunciation, 79x65 cm
- Annunciation of the Virgin, 79x65 cm
The work inspired several Brescian Renaissance painters, including Savoldo and Moretto
Moretto
Moretto is a surname, and may refer to:*Angie Moretto, NHL player*Enrico Moretto, Italian fighter ace*Graziella Moretto, actress*Marcelo Moretto de Souza, Brazilian footballer*Nelly Moretto, musician...
Resurrection
The central scene depicts a triumphant and blazing Christ above a dawn dark yellow and grey sky, who holds the CrusaderCrusader
- Military :* Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades* Crusader states, states set up by the Europeans in the Middle East during The Crusades* Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II* HMS Crusader, three British naval ships...
banner as an emblem of the Christian Catholic church. Under him is a group of soldiers with armors.
The work shows the influence of Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
's works such as the Transfiguration
Transfiguration (Raphael)
The Transfiguration is considered the last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. It was left unfinished by Raphael, and is believed to have been completed by his pupil, Giulio Romano, shortly after Raphael's death in 1520...
(the centripetal position of Christ) and the fresco of the Deliverance of Saint Peter
Deliverance of Saint Peter
The Liberation of Saint Peter is a fresco painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael and his assistant Giulio Romano. It was painted in 1514 as part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the...
for the quasi-night atmosphere Another possible influence is that of Danube school
Danube school
The Danube School or Donau School is the name of a circle of painters of the first third of the 16th century in Bavaria and Austria . Many also were innovative printmakers, usually in etching...
, in details such as the landscape illumination and the northern European fashion of the ideal Jerusalem in the background.
Saints Nazarius and Celsus with Donor
The left panel show the saints Nazarius and CelsusNazarius and Celsus
Saints Nazarius and Celsus were two martyrs of whom nothing is known except the discovery of their bodies by Saint Ambrose.According to Paulinus the Deacon's Vita Ambrosii, Ambrose, at some time within the last three years of his life, after the death of the Emperor Theodosius Saints Nazarius and...
, to which the church housing the altar was dedicated, on a gloomy background. Nazarius wear a shining armor, while his disciple, Celsus, is behind him. The kneeling donor is portrayed from profile, and is stylistically reminiscent of the depiction of Sigismondo de' Conti in Raphael's Madonna of Foligno. The influence of Titian's master, Giorgione
Giorgione
Giorgione was a Venetian painter of the High Renaissance in Venice, whose career was cut off by his death at a little over thirty. Giorgione is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, though only about six surviving paintings are acknowledged for certain to be his work...
, is also visibile in the calm atmosphere and the dull colors.
Saint Sebastian
The right panel shows the traditional Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, although in this case the saint is depicted in a rather contorted position which likely derived from MichelangeloMichelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
's Punishment of Aman in the Sistine Chapel ceiling
Sistine Chapel ceiling
The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, at the commission of Pope Julius II, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The ceiling is that of the large Papal Chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV after whom it is named...
, or from Raphael's Fire of Borgo
Raphael Rooms
The four Stanze di Raffaello in the Palace of the Vatican form a suite of reception rooms, the public part of the papal apartments. They are famous for their frescoes, painted by Raphael and his workshop...
also in the Vatican. The arms are tied to a trunk at different heights, while the legs are also differently articulated due to the presence of a column section.
The saint's face resembles that of the Christ in the central panel, as well as that of Titian, who was thirty at the time.
In the background is an angel, who points at Sebastian and talks with St. Roch: in the Middle Ages, both the saints were evoked to protect against plagues, and indeed Roch's legs are uncovered to show the traces of the disease.
Two preparatory drawings of the panel exist: one (16.2 x 13.6 cm) is at the Kupferstichkabinett
Kupferstichkabinett
Kupferstichkabinett is the German word for print room. It may also refer to:*Kupferstichkabinett Berlin*Kupferstich-Kabinett...
of Berlin, and another (18.3 x 11.5 cm) is in the Städel
Städel
The Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt am Main, with one of the most important collections in Germany....
of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
Annunciation
The two upper panels show the AnnunciationAnnunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, with the angel on the left and the Virgin on the right, according to a scheme dating to the Middle Ages. Titian painted the two figures under a powerful light, in particular the angel which is illuminated from behind.
His figure is unrolling a cartouche with the Gospel words Ave Maria Gratia Plena.