Quaratesi Polyptych

The Quaratesi Polyptych, painted in 1425 for the Quaratesi family's altar in San Nicola Oltrarno in Florence, was Gentile da Fabriano's last major documented work before his death in Rome in 1427. The large polyptych has been dismembered, with panels now dispersed among the National Gallery in London, the Uffizi, the Vatican, and other collections. The altarpiece demonstrates Gentile's evolution toward a greater naturalism in his final years, influenced by his exposure to the revolutionary developments in Florentine art. It represents the meeting point of International Gothic refinement and early Renaissance innovation.

The surviving panels show Gentile working with greater spatial depth and more solidly modeled figures than in his earlier works, suggesting the influence of contemporary Florentine innovations. The saints are rendered with individualized features and convincing physical presence while maintaining the decorative richness characteristic of Gentile's style. The gold backgrounds and elaborate punched halos demonstrate the highest level of Gothic altarpiece craftsmanship, while the naturalistic light effects in the predella scenes point toward Renaissance concerns with observed reality.