Follower of Perugino

Follower of Perugino, b. Italy, and After the removal of the three original Pietro Perugino panels from an altarpiece at The Certosa di Pavia monastery and complex in Lombardy, northern Italy, at the end of the 18th century, each underwent significant alterations. Firstly, all three panels were cut down soon after they were purchased in 1786. These fragmentary details were then painted out by the Follower of Pietro Perugino. Furthermore, while the paintings were in the Melzi collection in the first half of the 19th century, additions were made at all of the edges, most notably the upper edges. The panels entered the collection of the National Gallery in 1856 with all of these amendments and within a framing element defined by arched tops. The panel copies that are attributed to the Follower were made in the 19th century, likely during the first half of the century when the Perugino’s originals were still in the Melzi collection. Furthermore, the Follower’s panels serve as concrete and important visual documents that record the appearance of Perugino's originals for a short period of time within their history. Pietro Perugino most likely began studying painting in local workshops in Perugia (Umbria) such as those of Bartolomeo Caporali or Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. As he gained experience, he was eventually apprenticed to the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Lorenzo di Credi, Filippino Lippi and others. Of the scenes completely by Perugino’s own hand, only the fresco Giving of the Keys to St. Peter has survived. Perugino was very often interested in creating a sense of space in his works, especially between the main action in the foreground and precisely rendered examples of architecture in the background. The artist’s use of space and perspective was influential on many Renaissance artists who followed, notably his one-time pupil Raphael. Perugino’s paintings were very different from those of other Florentine artists. He preferred to place his figures at the front of his pictures with a large space behind leading to precisely drawn examples of architecture in the background. His figures were static, non-dramatic, gently classical in pose and clothed in soft, relatively heavy material falling in simple folds, his figures mark the changeover from mid-century linearity. His pictorial architecture is likewise characterised by uncluttered, grave simplicity and the eschewing of unnecessary details., “Follower of Perugino,” UCSB ADA Museum Omeka, accessed November 22, 2024, http://art-collections.museum.ucsb.edu/items/show/3196.