Gentile da Fabriano was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic pictorial style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany.
Paintings by Gentile da Fabriano
Valle Romita Polyptych (1408)
The Valle Romita Polyptych (Italian: Polittico di Valle Romita) is a painting by the Italian late Gothic painter Gentile da Fabriano, dating from c. 1408 and now housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. It was originally executed for the Franciscan hermitage of Valle Romita near Gentile's birthplace, Fabriano.
There is no information about the Valle Romita Polyptych's origins; however, it may have been commissioned by the lord of Fabriano, Chiavello Chiavelli, when in 1406 he had the local convent restored to house his future tomb. The painting would thus date from 1406 to 1414, when Gentile left the Marche and moved to Brescia under Pandolfo III Malatesta. The presence of elements of the International Gothic style, in particular as practiced by Michelino da Besozzo (such as the accurate rendering of natural details) has led some to narrow the dates to 1410-1412, when the two artists met in Venice.
Adoration of the Magi (Gentile da Fabriano) (1423)
The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian painter Gentile da Fabriano. The work, housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is considered his finest work and has been described as the culminating work of the International Gothic style.
The artwork was commissioned by the wealthy banker Palla Strozzi. The use of vibrant colors creates a brilliant and imposing effect. Techniques such as lighting, depth, and three-dimensionality are prevalent in the work and were novel for the time. Expensive materials such as gold leaf and jewels are incised in the painting to showcase the patron's wealth.
Madonna and Child with Two Saints and a Donor (1405)
Madonna and Child with Two Saints and a Donor is a c. 1395–1400 tempera and gold leaf on panel painting by the Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano, the earliest surviving major work by the artist. Probably painted for the church of Santa Caterina in Castelvecchio in Fabriano (the painter's father lived near that church from 1385 onwards after being widowed). It is now in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
On the right is Catherine of Alexandria, referring to the name of the church for which the work was probably produced. To the left is Nicholas of Bari presenting the work's donor. The donor is dressed as a merchant and may be Ambrogio di Bonaventura (died between 1395 and 1408), whose golden mark (a circle with rays surmounted by a cross) is to be seen at his feet.
Coronation of the Virgin (Gentile da Fabriano) (1420)
Coronation of the Virgin is a tempera painting by the Italian late Gothic artist Gentile da Fabriano, executed c. 1420, now in the Getty Museum. It originated as the front of the a processional banner – the reverse showed Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata and is now in Parma.
The painting was commissioned from Gentile da Fabriano, about 1420, as a processional standard banner in holding parades that honored the Virgin Mary for a confraternity based at the church of San Francesco Monastery in Fabriano, the painter's birthplace, he had returned there from Brescia for a few months in spring 1420 before moving on to Florence. It was passed to the Congregation of the Fathers of the Oratory of San Filippo Neri in the same year. Initially the panel was double-sided, but in 1827, the panel was added down at the center to add more two portraits; at the back side was a depiction of the Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata that is now in the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca. Ambrogio de' Bizochis was probably the intermediary between the painter and the confraternity - he was cousin to Egidio, brother of Gentile's wife.
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (Gentile da Fabriano) (1420)
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata is an oil and tempera painting by Gentile da Fabriano, executed c. 1420, now in the Magnani-Rocca Foundation in the Province of Parma in Italy. It is the back of a processional banner - the front showing the Coronation of the Virgin is now in the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
The banner was painted for a confraternity based at the San Francesco Monastery in Fabriano, the painter's birthplace - he had returned there from Brescia for a few months in spring 1420 before moving on to Florence. Ambrogio de' Bizochis was probably the intermediary between the painter and the confraternity - he was cousin to Egidio, brother of Gentile's wife.
Madonna of Humility (Gentile da Fabriano) (1420)
The Madonna of Humility is a tempera-on-panel painting by the Italian late medieval artist Gentile da Fabriano, dating from around 1420–1423 and housed in the Museo nazionale di San Matteo, Pisa.
Once housed in the local Pious House of Misericordia, the work was commissioned under unknown circumstances; however, its modest scale suggests that it was intended for private devotion. It was perhaps ordered by cardinal Alemanno Adimari, archbishop of Pisa, who had his sepulchre in the Roman church of Santa Maria Nova decorated by Gentile (a lost work mentioned by late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari).
Intercession Altarpiece (1420)
The Intercession Altarpiece is a five-panel tempera and gold on panel painting by Gentile da Fabriano, produced during his stay in Florence from 1420 to 1423. Its original location is unknown, though it is now in the sacristy of San Niccolò Oltrarno in Florence. It is named after its central panel of Jesus and the Virgin Mary interceding to God the Father. The two outermost panels show Louis of Toulouse and Bernard of Clairvaux. The two inner side-panels show the Resurrection of Lazarus and a group of three saints (Saints Cosmas, Damian and Julian).
The polyptych was made following da Fabriano's travels to Florence in 1420–1423, while working on his Adoration of the Magi. The Intercession Altarpiece, named after the central panel, was made for an unknown commission with an unknown original location.
Adoration of the Christ Child (Gentile da Fabriano) (1420)
The Adoration of the Christ Child is a tempera and gold on panel painting by the Italian late medieval artist Gentile da Fabriano, dating from around 1420–1421 and housed in the Getty Center of Los Angeles, United States.
The work is generally dated from between Gentile's quick stay in his hometown, Fabriano, in the Spring of 1420, and his arrival to Florence in the following summer. There are indeed similarities with the female faces in the Adoration of the Magi, although the presence of copies by local followers in the Marche and Dalmatia could imply that the painting was at some location in the Adriatic Sea area.
Davis Madonna (1410)
The Davis Madonna is a tempera on panel painting by the Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano, created c. 1410. It is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. The painting is named after Theodore M. Davis who acquired it in Florence, early in the 20th century before leaving it to its present owner in 1915.
The painting is in a bad state of conservation, but improved by restoration work. The Virgin Mary is seen seated on a slender throne pierced with arches and Gothic decorations, which is reminiscent of the Venetian tradition (both architectural and goldsmith's), from which dense foliage of shrubs sprout. She looks to the right, while the Child blesses on the left, suggesting that some side compartments were once also present.
Madonna and Child (Gentile da Fabriano, Washington) (1420)
Madonna and Child is a tempera and gold on panel painting by Gentile da Fabriano, executed c. 1420–1423, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work is generally identified as one of the first the artist produced in Florence, where he had arrived in summer 1420, at roughly the point at which he was working on the Pala Strozzi. It may have been the central panel of a polyptych, the rest of which is now lost.
The first recorded mention of the work dates to 1874, when it was auctioned in London from the collection of Alexander Barker, who may have acquired it in Florence. After several other owners, it was acquired by the Duveen brothers, who in 1937 sold it to Samuel H. Kress, who finally donated it to its present owner in 1939.
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels (1410)
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels is a c.1410–1415 tempera and gold on panel painting by the Italian late Gothic artist Gentile da Fabriano. Its original provenance is unknown, though its small size probably means it was made for private devotion. It is first recorded in the early 20th century, when it was in the Casa Persicini in Belluno, which suggests it links to the painter's time in Venice. It is now in the Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.
Madonna and Child (Gentile da Fabriano, Perugia) (1405)
Madonna and Child is a tempera on panel painting of the enthroned Madonna and Child by the Italian late medieval artist Gentile da Fabriano. At its base are small angel musicians. It is now in the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia.
It was painted for the church of San Domenico in Perugia. It is generally attributed to c.1405–1410, a period when the painter was on the move between Venice, the Marche and Umbria. Some art historians see the treatment of volume in the Christ child as heavily influenced by Masaccio's Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (1424) and so instead date the painting to the final years of Gentile's stay in Florence (1424–1425).