ROBERTI, Ercole de'

This detail from the predella of the Griffoni altarpiece shjows the Convalescence of St Theodora Suarez.

The predella of the Griffoni Polyptych shows the miracles of the saint as successive scenes in a long line. The episodes take place in open architectural settings (partly under construction) and in open air changing rythmically the viewing angle and the distance. The painting shows the influence of Tura but it lacks of Tura’s strong religious motivation.

The predella shows the miracles of the saint as successive scenes in a long line. The episodes take place in open architectural settings (partly under construction) and in open air changing rythmically the viewing angle and the distance. The painting shows the influence of Tura but it lacks of Tura’s strong religious motivation.

The two small paintings in the Louvre, representing St Apollonia and St Michael, were in the side columns of the polyptych commissioned from Ercole de’ Roberti and Francesco del Cossa by Floriano Griffoni from Bologna for his private chapel in the church of San Petronio.

The three paintings in the Cini collection, representing St Catherine of Alexandria, St Jerome, and St George, respectively, were in the side columns of the polyptych commissioned from Ercole de’ Roberti and Francesco del Cossa by Floriano Griffoni from Bologna for his private chapel in the church of San Petronio.

The three paintings in the Cini collection, representing St Catherine of Alexandria, St Jerome, and St George, respectively, were in the side columns of the polyptych commissioned from Ercole de’ Roberti and Francesco del Cossa by Floriano Griffoni from Bologna for his private chapel in the church of San Petronio.

The three paintings in the Cini collection, representing St Catherine of Alexandria, St Jerome, and St George, respectively, were in the side columns of the polyptych commissioned from Ercole de’ Roberti and Francesco del Cossa by Floriano Griffoni from Bologna for his private chapel in the church of San Petronio.

The two small paintings in the Louvre, representing St Apollonia and St Michael, were in the side columns of the polyptych commissioned from Ercole de’ Roberti and Francesco del Cossa by Floriano Griffoni from Bologna for his private chapel in the church of San Petronio.

This panel, called Portuense Altarpiece, was executed in 1480 for the church of S. Maria in Porto di Ravenna. The altarpiece was moved in the sixteenth century to the church of the same name that had been built outside the town. Following the suppression of the religious establishments and the requisition of church property in the Napoleonic period, the painting was consigned to the Accademia di Brera on April 26, 1811. Traditionally it was attributed to Stefano da Ferrara until the end of the 19th century.

The saints around the Madonna are St Augustin, St Anne, St Elisabeth and Blessed Peter of Honesty (Piero degli Onesti) who was the founder of a local clerical chapter. On the base of the throne three monochrome reliefs can be seen.

Ercole de’ Roberti, who worked in the school of Cosm� Tura and Francesco del Cossa, was the last of that trio of painters who made the name of Ferrara famous. He took part in the great decorations commissioned by the ducal court and worked at Schifanoia and Belriguardo. In this altarpiece, which is the first documented work by Roberti, his style is independent, although it shows the influence of his Ferrarese antecedents. The altarpiece reveals a familiarity with Venetian art and the work of Giovanni Bellini and Antonello da Messina in particular. Under a beautifully constructed architectural canopy, the Virgin is seated on a throne; beside her, on the octagonal podium, stand St. Anna and St. Elizabeth. The space that opens up in the marble base of the throne allows a view of the landscape around Ravenna between the colonettes. The grisaille bas-reliefs represent The Massacre of the Innocents, The Adoration of the Magi and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple; the triangular spaces above the arch show Samson with the Jawbone of an Ass and David with the Head of Goliath. The candelabra on the pilasters and the grisaille reliefs on the back of the throne and along the base show the Ferrarese taste for rigid, timeless form and for almost grotesque rock-like figures.

This is among the finest examples of quattrocento profile potraiture to have survived. The subject was the wife of the tyrant of Bologna (the city walls of which may be seen in the background) and was an outstanding patroness of the arts. The companion-piece in the same museum represents Giovanni II Bentivoglio.

The subject of this painting, a companion-piece to the portrait of his wife Ginevra Bentivoglio, was ruler of Bologna for thirty-three years. Quattrocento portraits were expected to trace with cartographic precision exact physical appearences. Profile portraits were probably preferred because they recall imperial likenesses on ancient Roman coins.

The predella of the main altarpiece of the church of San Giovanni di Monte in Bologna consisted of three pieces, the Prayer in the Garden, and the Road to Calvary at the sides and a Pietà in the middle.

The two side paintings were on their original place until 1749 when they were sold to the Saxonian Elector.

The predella of the main altarpiece of the church of San Giovanni di Monte in Bologna consisted of three pieces, the Prayer in the Garden, and the Road to Calvary at the sides and a Pietà in the middle.

The painting invokes a motif of Rogier van der Weyden and is an example of melting together the Flemish and Italian (Mantegna, Tura, Giovanni Bellini) approches to express religious feelings.

The predella of the main altarpiece of the church of San Giovanni di Monte in Bologna consisted of three pieces, the Prayer in the Garden, and the Road to Calvary at the sides and a Pietà in the middle.

The two side paintings were on their original place until 1749 when they were sold to the Saxonian Elector.

The emaciated and mystical figure of St John the Baptist rises above the rocks; the ledge on which John stands seems to melt away as we watch. The foreground and background are separated by line that makes the latter look almost like a backdrop.