Polyptych of Perugia

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Polyptych of Perugia
Piero della Francesca, c. 1470
Oil and tempera on panel
338 × 230 cm
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Perugia

The Polyptych of Perugia (also known as Polyptych of St. Anthony) is a complex of paintings by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, finished around 1470. It is housed in the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Perugia, Italy.

The work was executed for the Franciscan convent of Sant'Antonio da Padova in Perugia, most likely in the years following his sojourn in Rome. It portrays the Virgin enthroned with the Child in the central part, flanked by several saints: Anthony of Padua and John the Baptist on the left, Francis and Elizabeth of Hungary in the right. In the cusp is the Annunciation. The upper part of the predella shows the saint Claire and Lucy, while in the lower part are stories of the main saints.

The central part of the polyptych shows a still archaic style, both in the composition of the frame and in the gold background: Piero della Francesca was in fact called to complete a work already begun by a local painter^[1]. Also of lesser quality are the predella panel, which are in fact attributed to assistants. More innovative and typical of the artist's style is the Annunciation, set in a bright cloister, whose illusionist view is considered amongst the greatest perspective renderings of Renaissance art.^[2]