• Author: Giovanni dal Ponte
• Date: 1430
• Collection: PAINTING
• Technique: Tempera on panel
• Dimensions: 208 x 215,5 cm
• Inventory: Inv. 1890 n. 458

Giovanni di Marco, known as Giovanni Dal Ponte (1385-1437/38) was so nicknamed for the location of his Florentine workshop in the area of Santo Stefano al Ponte.

The polyptych of the Coronation of the Virgin with Saints originally decorated the Albergotti Chapel in the church of Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo. After the chapel was destroyed in 1570, the painting was documented in 1777 among the assets of the Monte di Pietà (an institutional pawnbroker run by the Church) and was listed in 1786 as part of the collection of the Uffizi.

The work has been restored multiple times. The first documented cleaning, which also included work on the gilding, dates to 1777 and was followed by further work to fill in missing areas. The last restoration was in 2016, for the Giovanni dal Ponte exhibition at the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze.

The removal of the yellowing varnish and dirt revealed the fine shading of the figures’ complexions and the variety of shot-silk hues used by the painter for the fabrics.

Two groups of saints stand on either side of the central image. Francis and John the Baptist on one side; Ivo and Dominic on the other. In the cusps, we find the Annunciation and Christ in Limbo.

The most interesting aspects of this painting include the presence of four musician angels, intent on playing their musical instruments.