Description
The San Domenico Polyptych preserves five panels depicting Saint Peter, Mary Magdalene, the Virgin and Child, Saint Paul and Saint Dominic. The figures stand beneath pointed arches against gilded grounds, with solemn expressions and distinctive attributes. The panel of Mary Magdalene also includes a much smaller image of Bishop Trasmondo Monaldeschi, the patron of the work. The central panel rises above the others and is especially notable for the tender exchange between Mary and the Christ Child.
Simone Martini produced the altarpiece for the Dominican church of San Domenico in Orvieto during the early fourteenth century. It is now held by the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in the same city. The ensemble is incomplete, having lost other panels and its upper elements. A damaged inscription preserves traces of the artist’s signature and a disputed date. The painting unites refined Sienese design, greater monumentality and a particularly eventful history of preservation.
