After Andrea del Sarto, 16th Century
The Porta Pinti Madonna
The Porta Pinti Madonna
oil on panel
146.1 x 110.2cm (57 1/2 x 43 3/8in).
The present painting serves as an early record of the now lost fresco Madonna of Porta Pinti by Andrea del Sarto. Painted in 1521, it formed part of a shrine at one of the gates in the walls of Florence known as the Porta Pinti or the Porta Fiesolana. Vasari describes the work, in particular the smiling figure of John the Baptist, as being of 'such perfect execution, that it is much extolled for its beauty and vivacity', so much so that when Florence was under siege in 1530 the shrine, he claims, remained standing when much of its surroundings were torn down.
By 1880 the fresco of the Madonna of Porta Pinti is known to have been destroyed but its popularity is attested to by the numerous drawings and painted copies in existence, many of which vary in their fidelity to the original and which often show changes to the background.
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The Porta Pinti Madonna
The Porta Pinti Madonna
oil on panel
146.1 x 110.2cm (57 1/2 x 43 3/8in).
The present painting serves as an early record of the now lost fresco Madonna of Porta Pinti by Andrea del Sarto. Painted in 1521, it formed part of a shrine at one of the gates in the walls of Florence known as the Porta Pinti or the Porta Fiesolana. Vasari describes the work, in particular the smiling figure of John the Baptist, as being of 'such perfect execution, that it is much extolled for its beauty and vivacity', so much so that when Florence was under siege in 1530 the shrine, he claims, remained standing when much of its surroundings were torn down.
By 1880 the fresco of the Madonna of Porta Pinti is known to have been destroyed but its popularity is attested to by the numerous drawings and painted copies in existence, many of which vary in their fidelity to the original and which often show changes to the background.
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Time, Location
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