description Pisa Polyptych Overview
The Pisa Polyptych was an extensive altarpiece painted by Masaccio in 1426 for a chapel in the Carmelite church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa. It combined a central enthroned Madonna and Child with saints, a Crucifixion, predella narratives, and other panels arranged in a Gothic frame. The structure was later dismantled and its surviving parts are dispersed, with the central Madonna panel now in the National Gallery in London.
insights Ranking position
Pisa Polyptych ranks #41 of 206 in the Altarpiece ranking, behind Last Judgment Triptych (Gdańsk), ahead of Seven Sacraments Altarpiece.
help Pisa Polyptych FAQ
Why is the Pisa Polyptych no longer in Pisa as a complete altarpiece?
Masaccio's 1426 altarpiece was dismantled and its panels were dispersed among different collections. Scholars reconstruct its original arrangement from surviving paintings, documentary evidence, and the panels' physical features.
Where is the central Madonna and Child from the Pisa Polyptych?
The enthroned Madonna and Child is in the National Gallery in London. Masaccio used a low viewpoint and a weighty, sculptural treatment of the figures because the panel originally occupied the main tier of a large Gothic polyptych.
Where can Masaccio's Crucifixion from the Pisa Polyptych be seen?
The Crucifixion panel is in the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples. Christ's foreshortened body was designed to be viewed from below when the panel stood high above the central Madonna.
Who originally commissioned the Pisa Polyptych?
The notary Giuliano di Colino degli Scarsi commissioned it for his chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa. Payment records from 1426 make it one of the best-documented works of Masaccio's short career.
explore Explore More
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
