Sunday 18 June 2017

Fra Angelico 6/12

As you know by now, I'm posting a photo of a painting by Fra Angelico that I've seen every month on the date of his feast day, i.e. today, the 18th of the month. Today I've chosen the Virgin & Child by the good Fra in the Thyssen-Bornemiza collection on loan to the MNAC in Barcelona. This is one of my favourite Virgin & Child paintings by Fra Angelico.

The colours are, of course, gorgeous and the cloth of gold held by angels as a backdrop is incredibly detailed when you see it up close. The Child nuzzling his mother, standing in his pink robe on her knee while she holds a lily in her other hand (symbol of purity, of course). Three angels holding the cloth of gold and two angels serenading the holy couple.

It's the detail that's really incredible which is why you need to see this painting up close. The delicate border to the Virgin's robe and the almost see-through nature of the Child's clothing is astonishing.

It suits the tabernacle frame it's in but I don't know if this is the original frame or one made subsequently to house the painting. Whichever, it works for me.