God the Father with Saints

Abstract

This glazed terracotta altarpiece must have been commissioned after the older fresco it frames performed a miracle in 1514, probably around 1517, when the present church (Santa Maria delle Grazie in Montepulciano) was built. The painting is a half-length image of the Madonna and Child, and so the standing saints that would normally look up to the enthroned Madonna and Child in reverence instead look down on them. In order to honor the image further, the blue and white terracotta has extensive gilding, and the venerated image is surrounded by a series of frames -- a silver one, then the saints, then cherub heads, and vases with fruit all in glazed terracotta. Above, God the Father, right hand raised in blessing and left hand holding the book with the alpha and omega, forms along with the dove of the Holy Spirit and the baby Jesus in the holy painting, the Trinity. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.