Dispute of the Church Fathers over the Immaculate Conception
Giovanni Antonio Sogliani
Florence, 1492 – 1544
PEINTURE
Fiche technique
- Auteur: Giovanni Antonio Sogliani
- Date: 1531 - 1533
- Collection: PEINTURE
- Technique: Huile sur bois
- Dimensions: 379 x 261 cm
- Inventaire: Inv. 1890 n. 3203
Artwork
The painting shows, from the left, Saints John the Evangelist, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury and Bernard of Clairvaux debating the subject of the sinless birth of the Virgin Mary, depicted as she ascended into Heaven in the presence of God the Father. The saints are positioned around the dead body of Adam, symbolising humanity’s original sin, redeemed by Mary.
Vasari informs us that the altarpiece was commissioned by Giovanni Serristori for his family’s altar in the Franciscan Church of San Salvatore al Monte, but was unfinished at the time of his death, between 1531 and 1533. However, Sogliani continued to work on it and finally delivered it to Serristori’s son-in-law and heir: Alamanno di Jacopo Salviati. He donated it to the Augustinian nuns of the Church of Saint Luke (destroyed in the 18th century) to decorate the high altar.
The artist, Giovanni Antonio Sogliani, was influenced by the works of Andrea del Sarto, especially in the monumental poses of the saints in the foreground and the dense, intensely shaded pictorial material, featuring a vibrant range of colours.
