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Antoniazzo Romano , Italian, fl. after 1461, d. 1508/09

Title

The Virgin Invoking God to Heal the Hand of Pope Leo I

Datec.1475

MediumTempera and gold leaf on wood panel

Dimensions

110.8 x 77 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 1920

Object numberNGI.827

DescriptionAccording to the hagiographic Golden legend, Pope Leo I, at the end of celebrating a mass, felt momentarily aroused by a woman who had kissed his hand. Ashamed of his sin, he punished himself by cutting of the hand that had been kissed, but the Virgin mercifully restored it. Apparently, this extraordinary healing took place in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, on the precise spot where the Pope used to venerate an icon of the Virgin Advocate.

Antoniazzo treats the episode with great skill and elegance. The Virgin is the protagonist, and is depicted in the act of imploring God to concede the miracle. Although modelled on traditional iconography, she is not a rigid and hieratic figure but has been transformed into a calm and gracious Renaissance Madonna. At the bottom, under a parapet, the miraculous event is represented in reduced scale; here an angel can be seen reinstating the hand to the Pope.

During the second half of the 15th century Antoniazzo became the most competent Roman painter. His ability to absorb influences from different artists who came to Rome helped him to develop an original style which, over a number of years, allowed him to compete successfully for numerous important commissions.

(National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide, 2008)
ProvenanceCollection Butler; purchased, Mr R. Langton Douglas, 1920Exhibition HistoryBurlington House, 1894

Mostra di Melozzo e del Quattrocento romagnolo, Palazzo dei Musei, Forli, June - October 1938

Piermatteo D'Amelia. A Protagonist of Renaissance between Florence and Rome, Centro per le Arti Opificio ex Siri Terni, 12 December 2009 - 2 May 2010