Paolo Veneziano's Coronation of the Virgin

The Coronation of the Virgin is a 1358 painting by Paolo Veneziano depicting the apocryphal story of the Virgin's death. It features the Virgin and Christ surrounded by angels playing instruments, reflecting the Venetians' love of luxury.

Format: Hardback
Length: 72 pages
Publication date: 11 October 2022
Publisher: D Giles Ltd

According to Nico Muhly, the Coronation of the Virgin is a panel of pure theatre and music. Painted in 1358 by the Venetian artist Paolo Veneziano (ca. 1295-1362), the apocryphal story of the Virgin's death is depicted in one of the artist's most thrilling and important works. Paolo Veneziano presents the Virgin and Christ in sumptuous garments and surrounded by a choir of angels playing portable organs, lutes, trumpets, tambourines, and other instruments. The angels symbolize the harmony of the universe; their instruments are the authentic components of a medieval orchestra, accurately depicted and correctly held and played. The decorative sparkle of the surface - with its brilliant, expensive colours, patterned textiles, and lavish gold leaf - reflects the Venetians' love of luxury, a taste that enriches much of 14th- and 15th-century architecture in Venice.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 198 x 244 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913875152