Italy / c. 1230s
The Crucifixion of St. Andrew, with St. Francis and St. Paul below
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Crucifixion of St. Andrew, with St. Francis and St. Paul below as painting (Italy · c. 1230s).
Berlinghiero is one of the earliest Italian painters known by name. He headed a large workshop in Lucca, the most important artistic center in Tuscany before the rise of Siena and Florence.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as tempera and gold on wood and credits Berlinghiero (Italian, before 1242).
The museum's collection notes: This small altarpiece, intended for a domestic interior or private chapel, consists of three panels, allowing it to be folded and easily transported. Surrounding the Virgin and Child in the center are various saints. On the left is Saint Andrew crucified, with St. Francis and St. Paul below; on the right, Christ with the instruments of the Passion, and St. Stephen and St. Lawrence below. The long expressive lines that define the clothing and hands of the figures are typical of Byzantine painting, which spread from Constantinople to Italy in the Middle Ages. Berlinghiero is one of the earliest Italian painters known by name. He lived in Lucca,
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Crucifixion of St. Andrew, with St. Francis and St. Paul belowOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.