Fra Filippo Lippi’s Saints

Preserved in the galleries of the Cleveland Museum of Art are two painted panels by one of the great masters of Renaissance Florence. They once formed a triptych with a large, now lost, central panel depicting the Adoration of the Christ Child. The triptych is well documented. It was commissioned by Giovanni di Cosimo de’Medici in 1457 as a diplomatic gift for Alfonso V of Aragon, also known as Alfonso I of Naples (1396–1458). The two side panels represent St. Anthony Abbot and the Archangel Michael, Alfonso’s patron saints; the Adoration of the Christ Child was one of Alfonso’s favorite devotional images. As an ensemble, the iconographic choices were clearly made to flatter Alfonso and to curry favor.

For this important commission, Giovanni chose one of the most popular Florentine painters at the time, Fra Filippo Lippi. Lippi was a Carmelite monk whose works were greatly admired, but, according to the painter, architect, and historian Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), he was inclined toward laziness and scandalous behavior. Little is known of Lippi’s early life and training. He was born in Florence to humble parents, both of whom died when he was a child. An aunt eventually took him to the Priory of Santa Maria del Carmine; there he took his vows on June 18, 1421.

According to Vasari, Lippi showed little interest in study but exhibited an early talent for drawing. He purportedly spent many hours studying Masaccio’s newly painted frescos in the Brancacci Chapel, and it is generally accepted that Lippi’s figures and compositions support an awareness of the elder master’s work; however, there is no evidence that Masaccio ever gave instruction to the young Lippi. Fra Filippo eventually left the priory to pursue painting, though he was never released from his vows. His career is generally not accounted for during the 1430s. In 1456 Lippi is recorded as living in Prato, near Florence, painting frescoes in the choir of the cathedral, now considered his most important monumental works.

Scholars acknowledge the two wings representing Saints Anthony Abbot and Michael as outstanding examples of Lippi’s style. Saint Michael is resplendent in gilded, embossed, and bejeweled armor, further enriched by his red cape and blue sash. Such beautiful armor would certainly appeal to Alfonso V and Giovanni de’Medici. Saint Michael holds a falchion, a single-edged sword. His pauldrons and shield bear the cruciform emblem of Christ’s Resurrection. Together with his gilded wings and halo, this rich and expressive image conveys Michael’s role as defender of heaven and protector of souls.

Conversely, Saint Anthony Abbot assumes a more subdued appearance appropriate to one of Christianity’s most revered desert fathers who renounced earthly possessions and embraced a hermetic life of contemplation and solitude. Nevertheless, Lippi applies subtle variations of color and shading to suggest the play of light on the saint’s deep drapery folds. He wears a tangerine inner robe cinched with a belt. The outer robe is gray-white, but is expressively modeled in subtle hues ranging from violet to rose to pale gray, demonstrating Lippi’s skill as both colorist and draftsman.

     A letter from Fra Filippo to his patron, Giovanni de’Medici, dated July 20, 1457, is preserved in the 
Archivio di Stato in Florence and sheds considerable light on the production of the altarpiece. Lippi writes:

I have done as you demanded in this painting, in every detail. The Saint Michael is now perfect, with his armor painted in gold and silver as well as his clothes. . . . Now, Giovanni, I am here to act as your slave, and I shall continue to do so.

     He then states that he has temporarily stopped working and requests payment to cover his materials plus a promised honorarium, for which he offers delivery of the triptych on August 20:

I have received from you 14 florins and I have told you that expenses amount to 30 more. I confirm that this sum is necessary because this picture will have many ornaments. . . . I have stopped in my work simply because I have no more gold, nor enough to pay for it; and I beg of you not to keep me thus in suspense.

Lippi informs Giovanni that his total expenses for materials will be 60 florins, with the following justification:

Because of my great friendship for you, I do not wish to take advantage, but I assure you that any other painter other than myself would demand 100 florins.

At the bottom of his letter, Lippi adds a pen-and-ink sketch of the triptych, perhaps as an incentive to Giovanni de’Medici to provide the requested funds and hasten delivery. This is believed to be Lippi’s only known autograph drawing. It is invaluable for providing a sense of the original framing of the altarpiece and the composition of the now-lost center panel.

Alfonso became king of Aragon and Sicily in 1416 following the death of his father. In 1442 he seized control of Naples, becoming king of that city as well. Known for his erudition and love of letters and fine books, Alfonso possessed a celebrated art collection and was a noted patron of the arts in his own right. The impulse for Giovanni de’Medici to impress Alfonso must have been strong given his political influence. The king received the altarpiece in early 1458. On May 27, Giovanni wrote to his agent in Naples, Bartolomeo Serragli, “I understand that you have presented the picture to the king’s majesty and that it pleases him fairly.” In another letter to Serragli dated June 10, Giovanni wrote, “I note that you write respecting the high esteem in which His Majesty holds the picture. This is pleasing to me. . . .”

Sadly, Alfonso was unable to enjoy his picture for long, as he died 17 days later on June 27, 1458. Little did he know that his paintings would alight in a land not yet known to Europeans. Today, these important paintings connect museum visitors with a significant moment in Florentine history.