a rediscovered masterpiece

Paperback / softback | 03-12-2020 | 9788836646593

The Griffoni Polyptych is regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Published on the occasion of the exceptional reunification – after three hundred years – of its constituent parts, this book offers the results of the new analyses on the work, carried out for the important occasion.

Commissioned by Floriano Griffoni for the family chapel in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, the polyptych was painted by Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de ‘Roberti between 1470 and 1472. The Ferrarese artists created a fundamental work in the search for a modern feeling of space and volumes, proposing a “compositional mosaic” which can be considered an alternative to the contemporary works of Piero della Francesca or Andrea Mantegna. Dismantled in 1725 by the new owner of the chapel, the polyptych was never again reunited: the paintings that formed it entered the antiques market and sixteen pieces arrived in the nine museums that still preserve them today.

The volume is the most complete monograph on this masterpiece.