Adoration of the Shepherds, central panel of the Portinari Altarpiece

~~At the dawn of the Quattrocento, a Gothic coloring system matched the Christian culture. Abundant gold symbolized the celestial sphere; a white gesso ground enhanced the brilliance of the pigments bound in egg, which were used in their pure form to maximize their luminosity. As the humanist view gradually gained ground, Christian...

The sacred image is a genre that serves two masters, art and the Church. Although the requirements of art are constantly changing, those of the Church remain relatively constant: to create images that will instruct the worshiper and move his or her emotions. Twice during the Renaissance the ecclesiastical establishment judged that the images artists were producing were unsatisfactory: locally and...