GENTILE DA FABRIANO
(b. ca. 1370, Fabriano Marche, d. 1427, Roma)

Polyptych of Valle Romita (left side)

c. 1408
Tempera on panel
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

The left side of the polyptych shows in the lower part St Jerome and St Francis, while the upper part contains The Killing of St Peter Martyr and St John the Baptist in the Desert.

In the lower part of the side panels, the bodies of the saints disappear within the fluid coils of their robes. There is a highly refined play of colour variations among the four figures. The red, white and gold robe of St Jerome and the pink and violet costume of Mary Magdalene contrast with the more sober brown of St Francis' habit and the black of St Dominic's mantle. St Francis' bare feet, an attribute of his iconography, are almost disconnected from the figure. The feet of the other figures remain invisible, hidden by their robes and the thick carpet of flowers.

Indifference to the rendering of space and the relative sizes of figures can also be seen in the smaller panels of the upper part. St John the Baptist and St Francis, shown kneeling in profile, are squeezed in among rocky peaks without regard to realistic proportions. Similarly, St Anthony is placed in a narrow garden, hemmed in by the wall and the door, emphasizing the atmosphere of private meditation. St Peter's martyrdom, which is not very sanguinary despite the flow of blood, creates an impact by being brought forward toward the spectator.