MENEGHELLO di Giovanni de' Canali
(documented 1383-1427)

Altarpiece of the Virgin Mary

c. 1410
Tempera on wood, 161 x 221 cm (framed)
National Gallery, London

The main body of the altarpiece consists of five panels: a central panel of the Virgin and Child, flanked by two panels on either side, each of which is divided into two narrative scenes, one on top of the other. The four scenes to the left of the central image depict episodes from the story of Sts Joachim and Anna and the Birth of the Virgin. Those on the right relate two miracles of the Virgin associated with the celebration of the Feast of the Conception. A predella depicting Christ and the Apostles runs beneath the main scenes.

The altarpiece can be attributed to a Venetian-born artist working in Zadar. In the past it was attributed simply to the Venetian school. The names of Lorenzo Veneziano and Jacobello del Bonomo were mentioned in this connection. However, the work is now attributed to Meneghello di Giovanni de' Canali.




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