In Ponteranica Altarpiece, how is the Description and style discussed?
The series is composed of six compartments, three above and three below, in a similar setting to Titian's Averoldi Polyptych. In the first row, there are the following panels:Saint Peter, 118 x 57 cm
Saint John the Baptist, 135 x 70 cm
Saint Paul, 118 x 57 cmIn the row above:Angel of the Annunciation, 75 x 35 cm
Christ the Redeemer, 135 x 70 cm
Virgin of the Annunciation, 75 x 35 cmJohn the Baptist is in the center of the lower row, with two visible cartouched texts that identify him: "Ego Vox clamantis in deserto/ Parate Viam Domini" and "Ecce Agnus Dei". The rock he is placed on presents the dating and signature of Lotto: "L. Lotus / 1522". The last digit of the date ends in a crack in the panel, which caused for a long time uncertainty about the dating of the work. The series' restoration in 2011 by the Fondazione Creberg revealed the last digit of "2". Saint John holds, in his arms, the lamb of God and extends his right hand towards St. Peter placed in the painting on his right. 
The side panels are joined spatially, with the same landscape and two curtains that open at their sides. The original cornicing, now lost, would have added to these perspectival effects. The heavy velvet of the curtains reflects the influences of the Brescian Renaissance painting, particularly Girolamo Savoldo.
The central panel in the upper row explicitly refers to the devotion of the series' patrons, the Scuola di Corpo di Cristo. Christ stands on a cloud and wears a vaporous, white loincloth, and the blood from his wounds pours into a chalice of the Eucharist. The physical type of Christ is similar to Christ in Lotto's Suardi Chapel. The Scuola di Corpo di Cristo that commissioned the series wished to represent the body of Christ as a means of redemption—Lotto had shown Christ as risen, where his cross is only a luminous sign placed on his head. Later representations of Christ with sores, the tools of his martyrdom, and his blood pouring into a chalice were made by Giovanni Bellini in 1460 and Vittore Carpaccio in 1496. 
The side panels in the upper row represent the Annunciation, divided into two and foreshortened for being viewed from below. On a dark background, the angel and the Virgin are silhouetted by light emitted by the dove of the Holy Spirit. 
The polyptych series ends with a predella that includes five panels that represent Christ risen, Christ in limbo between two angels, and the appearance of Christ to his disciples. They were once attributed to Lotto until 1895, when they were re-attributed to Giovanni Cariani. The predella was joined to the polyptych only in 1816, when it was made part of a tabernacles. Both Lotto and Cariani had worked in Bergamo at the same time, but performed very different works.
Giovanni Bellini Annunciation Averoldi Polyptych John the Baptist Saint John the Baptist dove of the Holy Spirit Titian Suardi Chapel Corpo di Cristo Girolamo Savoldo Vittore Carpaccio Giovanni Cariani Agnus Dei predella