Pair of Panels from a Triptych: The Archangel Michael and St. Anthony Abbot
Filippo Lippi·1458
Historical Context
These paired panels from 1458 by Fra Filippo Lippi depicting the Archangel Michael and Saint Anthony Abbot formed the wings of a triptych whose central panel depicted the Virgin and Child. Triptych altarpieces were the standard devotional format for mid-century Italian painting, with flanking saints providing spiritual intermediaries between the worshipper and the central holy figures. Michael, leader of the heavenly army, and Anthony, founder of Christian monasticism, represented celestial and earthly modes of spiritual combat respectively. Lippi was working for Prato Cathedral during this period, simultaneously running a workshop that produced numerous devotional panels for Florentine and Tuscan patrons.
Technical Analysis
Lippi's tempera on wood panel technique features his characteristic delicate modeling of drapery and refined linear contours, with each saint rendered with distinctive attributes and individualized expression.
Provenance
Commissioned by Giovanni di Cosimo de' Medici, Florence, as a gift for King Alfonso V of Aragon (Alfonso I of Naples); Collection of King Alfonso V of Aragon (Alfonso I of Naples), Naples; Collection of Countess Sara Pacheco, Madrid; Purchased by Sir John Charles Robinson, Madrid, for Sir Fancis Cook, Soughty House, Richmond, Surrey; By descent to Sir Frederick Cook, Sir Herbert Cook, and their heirs; Rosenberg & Stiebel Inc., New York; The Cleveland Museum of Art
