This dossal—a panel placed above and behind an altar—is a precious example of early Venetian painting. The rationale for its layout and theological context remains to be discovered, but all of the scenes are recognizable. Though the Crucifixion traditionally occupies the center of a panel, here it is one of four episodes that surround the Flagellation. Pairs of saints, many of whom are female, witness the events, save for the Annunciation at the upper left and right corners. St. Francis receiving the Stigmata is the sole narrative that does not treat the life of Christ. The inscription that accompanies it is drawn from a prayer of penitence: “a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). This episode, along with the portrayal of a Poor Clare from the Franciscan Order of nuns, may indicate that a Franciscan patron commissioned the panel.
Details
- Artist Name: Venetian School (Italian)
- Title: Scenes in the Life of Christ with Patron Saints (15 Scenes)
- Date: c. 1300
- Medium: Tempera and gold leaf on panel
- Dimensions: 16-3/8 x 26-3/8 in. (41.6 x 67 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1965.1.020.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
[Duveen Bros., New York, stock no. 27262, sold 1965 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[on loan]
- Smith College Museum of Art, 1921 to
Mediaeval Art
- William Hayes Ackland Memorial Art Center, 1961-04-28 to 1961-05-20
[on loan]
- Rose Art Museum, 1966 to 1969
[on loan]
- Hunt Branch Library, Fullerton, 1969-05-09 to
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1970-01-23 to
[on loan]
- Scripps College, 1969-11-14 to
[on loan]
- Detroit Institute of Arts, 1974-11-08 to
Art of Tuscany: Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture
- New York, Duveen Galleries, 1963-11 to 1963-12
Lock, Stock and Barrel: Norton Simon's Purchase of Duveen Brothers Gallery
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-10-24 to 2015-02-16
- Douglas, R. Langton, Art Quarterly, pp. 19-30
- Moran, Neil K., Pantheon, pp. 5-10
- Garrison, Edward B., Italian Romanesque Panel Painting, 1949, p. 147
- Neff, Amy, Gesta, 1999, pp. 83, 86
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. D57 p. 445
- Llewellyn, Laura, Paolo Veneziano: Art and Devotion in 14th-Century Venice, 2021, fig. 21 p. 31, p. 34, p. 42 ; p. 31 (ill.)
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