Stefaneschi Triptych
by Giotto di Bondone, 1320
StyleRenaissance
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1320
- Medium
- Tempera and gold on panel
- Size
- 220 cm × 245 cm (87 × 96 in)
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Giotto and his workshop created the Stefaneschi Triptych around 1320 for Cardinal Giacomo Gaetani Stefaneschi. The altarpiece was painted on both sides to be visible from the front and back of Saint Peter's high altar. It's one of the few surviving panel paintings securely attributed to Giotto.
The front shows Christ enthroned surrounded by angels, with Peter's martyrdom on the left wing and Paul's beheading on the right. The back shows Peter enthroned as first pope, flanked by apostles. Cardinal Stefaneschi himself kneels offering the triptych to Peter. The gold backgrounds and formal compositions follow Byzantine tradition, but Giotto's figures show naturalistic weight and emotion. It resides in the Vatican Museums' Pinacoteca.
