For the first time, a selection of paintings and tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, by such Renaissance and baroque masters as Sandro Botticelli, Il Parmigianino, Lorenzo Monaco, Il Guercino and Cristofano Allori, has come to the United States. The museums participating in the national tour are the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where they have been on view since November 2011, the James A. Michener Art Museum (April 21⁁ugust 11), the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wis. (August 18⁎ovember 12) and the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Ga. (December 15⁁pril 1, 2013).
“Il Pane degli Angeli (Offering of the Angels)” was such an enormous success in Florence that the Uffizi’s curators decided to make it available to an international audience. The exhibition opened the following year in Spain; first in Madrid in 2008 and later, in Barcelona in 2009, where it was visited by a half million people.
All of the 44 works of art in “Offering of the Angels” are related to the theme of angels and the Eucharist. The paintings and tapestries portray scenes from the Old Testament, including the Creation of Adam, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the Miracle of the Manna, as well as events from the life of Christ, including the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. All the subjects are tied together by the theme of forgiveness.
Among the exhibition’s paintings is “Madonna and Child,” circa 1466‶7, by Sandro Botticelli (circa 1445‱510), which reveals the spirit and lyricism for which the artist is best known. One of the earliest works is Lorenzo Monaco’s “The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John and Mary Magdalene,” circa 1395‱400, with its pious figures and gilt background that are a hallmark of the late Gothic style. Luca Giordano (1634‱705), a leading figure of the late baroque period in Italy, is represented by the moving “Climb to Calvary” (1685‱686), a large canvas that depicts an emotional encounter on Christ’s ascent to his crucifixion. A featured work is the recently restored “Madonna with Child and Saint Catherine,” an oil on canvas from the workshop of Titian, circa 1550. These canvases will be installed in the company of three large and elaborate tapestries from the Sixteenth Century that depict scenes from the life of Christ, including The Last Supper, The Descent from the Cross and the Resurrection.
The James A. Michener Art Museum is at 138 South Pine Street. For information, www.michenerartmuseum.org or 215-340-9800.
