Description
Saint Lawrence sits enthroned between Saints Cosmas and Damian in Fra Filippo Lippi’s altarpiece. The gridiron beneath his feet identifies the instrument of his martyrdom, while kneeling donors bring the devotional scene into contact with the people who commissioned it. Rich robes and a gold ground give the saints a formal presence. The grouping combines the authority of the central figure with the quieter acts of reverence below.
Made in the 1440s in tempera on wood, the painting was commissioned by Alessandro Alessandri for his family’s church near Florence. He appears with his two sons in the foreground. The choice of the accompanying saints also reflects the patron’s political allegiances. Lippi brings these public and private relationships into a coherent sacred image, making the altarpiece both an object of devotion and a record of its particular commission.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Filippo Lippi collection.
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