Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called
(Perugia 1454 - Siena 1513)
and Giovan Battista Caporal
(Perugia circa 1476 - circa 1560)
Crowning of the Virgin, 1503
tempera on wood transferred to canvas
cm. 330 x 200
cat. 40312

Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, was commissioned to paint this altarpiece in 1503. He painted it with Giovan Battista Caporali for the church of the convent of S. Maria dei Minori of Umbertide, near Perugia. The upper part of the painting illustrates the Crowning of the Virgin with two angel musicians. Kneeling in the foreground in the lower part are Sts Francis of Assisi, Bernardino, Anthony of Padua, Ludwig of Toulouse and Bonaventure in the midst of the twelve apostles who are divided into two groups. All the typical elements of Pinturicchio's art are present in this painting: his skill as a festive and elegant decorator, the illustration of religious subjects with a fresh narrative vein, the descriptive detail of the landscapes with an Umbrian taste and the profusion of golden inserts.