1425/30, Fra Angelico
Tempera on wood
35.5 x 14 cm each
The archangel Michael and Saint Nicholas of Bari are enthroned at the centre of a bright gold sky. The book illustrator and Dominican monk Fra Giovanni's skill in capturing hyper-real space was second to none, giving rise to his sobriquet "the Angelic", or Angelico. Both panels are side panels of the high altar of the Dominican church of Fiesole. This high altar intended to represent Heavenly Jerusalem, God's own city, peopled by the Holy Family, a large host of angels and a multitude of saints.
Fra Angelico was born in Vicchio near Fiesole between 1386 and 1400, he died 1455 in Rome.