Hierarchies of Vision: Fra Angelico's Coronation of the Virgin from San Domenico, Fiesole
2004; Oxford University Press; Volume: 27; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/oaj/27.2.137
ISSN1741-7287
Autores Tópico(s)Medieval Literature and History
ResumoThe altarpiece painted by Fra Angelico for the Observant Dominican church outside of Fiesole (now in the Louvre) represents the court of heaven assembled in celebration and contemplation of the Virgin. The company of prophets and saints is carefully selected and arranged to argue a case for the status and authority of the recently established observance. Envisioning the realm of the divine, it also shows modes of viewing: presenting examples of devotional behaviour, which were addressed to a range of viewers. Hierarchical as an image, this painting offers a case for the study of how devotional viewing was understood in relation to social and institutional hierarchies in early fifteenth-century Florence. A brief review of the painting's critical fortunes also shows how art history creates ways of seeing that can significantly alter the status and interpretation of a given work.
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