FRA ANGELICO'S CRUCIFIXION – SAVING AN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE
'The Crucifixion' is one of the earliest surviving panel paintings by Fra Angelico and perhaps the earliest version of the subject he was to return to again and again throughout his life and career.
Painted in the 1420s, 'The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen' exemplifies the power, beauty and sensitivity for which Fra Angelico would become known, and offers key insights into his painterly style and the development of European painting more broadly.
The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen, Fra Angelico, early 1420s, tempera on gold ground panel © 2023 Christie’s Images Limited
The Ashmolean houses an extensive Italian Renaissance collection that includes important pieces by Raphael, Michelangelo and Uccello, as well as a rare, later work by Fra Angelico and his studio: a triptych of the Virgin and Child.
There are very few major paintings by Fra Angelico in public collections in the UK, and no complete works by the artist – the National Gallery and the Courtauld Gallery only hold fragments of larger altarpieces in their collections.
The Virgin and Child with Angels and a Dominican Saint, Fra Angelico, 1450–1455. Ashmolean Museum
If the Ashmolean is successful in raising the funds for this acquisition, it would make the Ashmolean the only museum in the country where visitors could witness Fra Angelico’s development over the course of his career. The Crucifixion would complement and significantly enhance the Museum’s important collection of Early Italian religious works.
