Polyptych of San Vincenzo Ferreri

Giovanni Bellini completed this polyptych between 1464 and 1468 for the altar dedicated to Saint Vincent Ferrer in the Venetian basilica. It was his first major public commission and remains in its original location at the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, one of the largest churches in Venice.

The altarpiece comprises nine panels arranged in three parts, with the Pietà, the Virgin, and the Angel of the Annunciation at the top. Saint Vincent Ferrer, the Spanish Dominican friar who had been canonized just ten years before the commission, appears in the central panel. The work shows Bellini developing the rich color and atmospheric effects that would later revolutionize Venetian painting.

Bellini's influence on Venetian art was profound. He moved painting toward a more sensuous, coloristic style through his use of slow-drying oil paints that created deep tints and detailed shadings. His students included Giorgione and Titian, who would carry his innovations forward.