Saint Ansanus

Maker Cosimo Rosselli (Italian, 1439 - 1507)

Collections

Art Collectors' Council: 1995 - 2024

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateca. 1470

Mediumtempera and gold on poplar wood panel

Dimensions36 1/4 × 19 1/4 in. (92.1 × 48.9 cm.)

DescriptionThis panel portraying Saint Ansanus, the patron saint of Siena in Tuscany, Italy was part of an altarpiece that was cut down in the 18th century. Two other panels from the same altarpiece are in The Huntington's art collections (#26.100 and #2018.6.2).

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Art Collectors' Council, the Schweppe Art Acquisition Fund, the Connie Perkins Endowment, the Frances Crandall Dyke Bequest, Caillouette Acquisition Endowment for British and Continental Art, the George R. and Patricia Geary Johnson British Art Acquisition Fund, and gift of Gore Vidal, Lauritz Melchior, Mr. and Mrs. Max Farrand, Mr. and Mrs. John Redfield, and Mike Finnell by exchange.

Label TextThese three panels (#26.100, #2018.6.1, and #2018.6.2) depicting the Virgin and Child in Glory, Saint Ansanus, and Saint Anthony Abbot, all belong to the same altarpiece produced by Cosimo Rosselli in the 1470s. During the late 18th century, the altarpiece was cut down to produce seven panels that could be sold more easily. Reading clockwise from top right, the missing panels depict Saint Bartholomew (in a private collection), Saint Lucy (in a private collection), Saint Catherine of Alexandria (now in the National Gallery, Prague), and Saint John the Baptist (in a private collection). The vivid palette of this altarpiece—combining brilliant hues and gilding that has been inscribed to achieve a glittering effect—is typical of Rosselli's decorative use of color, for which he was famous. Among the very first collectors in the United States to show an interest in Renaissance Italian painting, Arabella Huntington acquired the panel depicting the Virgin and Child in Glory around 1912, prior to her marriage to Henry Huntington. With The Huntington's 2018 acquisition of the Saints Ansanus and Anthony panels, this display represents the first time these three panels have been shown together in over 200 years.

Status

On view

Object number2018.6.1