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Signed: "OPUS LUCE CORTONENSIS." With the Madonna and Child, which is also in the Brera, this painting made up the double-faced processional image of the church of S. Maria del Mercato at Fabriano.
This work reveals the broad influences on the young artist, who had closely studied the work of Piero della Francesca, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino and Francesco di Giorgio. The example of Pollaiolo can be seen in the creation of space by means of the harmonious placement of the figures in a circle around Christ. A classicizing atmosphere is created by the relief running across the foreground, which places the scene on a stage and separates it from the spectator. Other classicizing elements are the column bearing an idol, and the simulated bas-reliefs of the background wall, which recalls the scaena of an ancient Roman theater.
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