Madonna with Child and Saints(Pala dei Francescani) by Piermatteo d'Amelia

A section of the "Aurelio De Felice" Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art(at the CAOS in Terni) provides a broad overview of the art of Terni from the period between the second half of the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. One of the ”gems” of this valuable collection is the altarpiece "Madonna with Child and Saints"by Piermatteo d’Amelia. This artwork was painted for the Church of San Francesco in Terni, where it remained until the end of the XIXth century. The main figures that stand out on a gold background occupy a space consisting of three arches in which the Madonna and Child are placed in a central position.

 

 

In the central representation there are two symbolic features: one is the small coral on the neck of the Child - an apotropaic symbol -, the other is the twig at the foot of the Madonna, probably a reference to the thorns of the Crown or the tree of the Cross. In the two side arches San Bonaventura of Bagnoregio and San Giovanni Battista stand out on the left,while in the one on the right San Francesco and San Ludovico of Tolosa. A juxtaposition that highlights the contrast between the sacred vestments of and the poverty of the clothes of San Francesco and San Giovanni.

Other figures of saints are present on its side pilasters, among which we note, on the left, Saint Valentine, Patron of Terni. The representations of this part of the painting as well as those that make up the predella (episodes from the life of Jesus) are believed to be the work of Piermatteo's collaborators.

 

The ”Pala dei Francescani” which shows features of the medieval tradition and those of a typically Renaissance language,revealing a stylistic richness resulting from the influence of different painters - including Perugino and Pintoricchio -,is considered one of the most important artworks of the fifteenth century Umbria

The other section of the Museum consists of a rich collection of contemporary artworks.

 

"Aurelio De Felice" Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art at the CAOS (Centro Arti Opificio Siri) website caos.museum