Explore the History of this artwork, Intercession Altarpiece.
The polyptych was made following da Fabriano's travels to Florence in 1420–1423, while working on his Adoration of the Magi. The Intercession Altarpiece, named after the central panel, was made for an unknown commission with an unknown original location. The first mention of the altarpiece places it in the Chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno in 1862. Having already been aggressively restored, the work was seriously damaged in 1897 by a fire that burned its whole surface. The following cleaning attempts were not able to successfully recover the work's legibility, causing it to be considered a lost da Fabriano masterpiece. It was held, untouched for years, in the storage of the Palazzo Pitti. The poor state of the panels also raised doubts about the signature of the artist, which was however affirmed by Roberto Longhi and his students. In 1979, art historian Luciano Bellosi denied the Florentine origin of the work. Instead he assigned it to an earlier phase of da Fabriano's career, perhaps in Venice. Bellosi believed that the work was perhaps sent to Florence as a calling card by the painter, as a test of his skill before settling there.
Florence Luciano Bellosi Roberto Longhi Chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno Palazzo Pitti Adoration of the Magi