Restored in 2024 with funding from Xavier F. Salomon.

The church of Santa Maria Assunta, Malamocco, houses one of the few surviving examples of early 15th-century Venetian folding altarpieces. Made of wood and consisting of two registers joined with hinges, this fascinating liturgical object contains in its main field a Christ in majesty holding a book, signifying his twofold identity as the Ruler of the World and as the Word of God incarnate; underneath it is a carved depiction of the so-called Dormitio Virginis, the Dormition of the Mother of God. This iconography depicts the death and assumption of the Virgin by representing her asleep surrounded by the mourning apostles, her spirit and body having transitioned into heaven where the Son holds her on his lap. The Virgin Mary’s instrumental role in the Incarnation made her one of the most powerful intercessors for humankind. Because of that, she was granted an exceptional transition to the afterlife, the Assumption, which in turn appears to be particularly in tune with the dedication of the church in Malamocco. Local devotion is also reflected by the two fragmentary half-length saints painted on the back of the upper register—Felix and Fortunatos, Malamocco’s patron saints whose relics were once treasured in the church of Santa Maria Assunta.

It is likely that much like the Pala d’Oro and its cover, the Pala Feriale, the gilded front of the altarpiece was fully displayed during major feast days, whereas the painted saints were visible on weekdays. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the two registers appear to be hinged together, with the upper one that folds down over the lower to show the half-length saints. This intriguing aspect of the cultual and devotional functions of the altarpiece will be further investigated once it is removed from the sacristy to undertake conservation treatment.

No evidence has been found yet recording either the commission of the altarpiece. Nevertheless, it is likely that it was originally made for Santa Maria Assunta, as the church’s dedication would suggest. The first, possible reference dates to 1619, when Bishop Pasquale Grassi noted “a wooden altarpiece engraved and gilded.” Current archival research may shed light on this crucial topic. Following the 1979 restoration, the altarpiece was dated to the early decades of the 15th century and attributed to sculptor Caterino dalle Masegne and guilder Bartolomeo di Paolo. At the end of the conservation treatment, Sandro Sponza of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice described this altarpiece as “one of the most significant examples of 15th-century wooden sculpture in Venice.” More recently, it has been suggested to date it back to the late Trecento, on a stylistic ground. Further research is being carried out to address this important issue.

The folding altarpiece was once displayed high on the wall of the sacristy of Santa Maria Assunta in Malamocco. It had suffered from numerous condition issues, including carved details at risk of detaching, areas of polychrome decoration and gilding that had buckled, and a thick layer of surface dirt and oxidized varnish that obscured the delicate details of the work. Additionally, there was evidence of active wood-boring insect infestation.

Conservation treatment led by Enrica Colombini addressed multiple issues, through securing and consolidating the precarious pieces and decoration and removing the disfiguring non-original surface residues to reveal the brilliance of the colors and gilding. The remaining polychrome details were consolidated and integrated using conservation paints, and a final layer of protective varnish was applied as the final step. The work also underwent a disinfestation for the wood-boring insects. A comprehensive photographic campaign documented each step of the process.

Conservation is also shedding further light on the remnants of polychrome detailing on the back of the work. Officials from the catholic diocese, parish, and Ministry of Culture in consultation with the conservator are now determining if the altarpiece can be displayed in the church, instead of in the small sacristy, in a way that allows for the viewing of the back of the work. 

Caterino Moranzon (active 1399 – 1430) [attr.]
Folding altarpiece
Early 15th century, wood
225 x 104 cm

De Marchi, Andrea. La postérité du devant-d’autel à Venise: retables orfévrés et retables peints. In Kroesen, Justin E.A. and Victor M. Schmidt, eds. The Altar and its Environment 1150-1400. Turnhout: Brepols, 2019, pp. 57-86. Link to the article

Guarnieri, Cristina. Lo svelamento rituale delle reliquie e le pale ribaltabili di Paolo Veneziano sulla costa istriano-dalmata. In Baradel, Valentina and Cristina Guarnieri, eds. Arte e cultura tra Venezia e il Quarnaro. Padua: Padova University Press, 2019, pp. 39-53. Link to the article

Mariacher, Giovanni. “Paliotti lignei veneziani.” In Emporium, 95, 688 (1952): 161-166. Link to the article

Merkel, Ettore. Antependi e pale d’argento in area veneziana e adriatica. In Caselli, Letizia and Ettore Merkel, eds. Oreficeria sacra a Venezia e nel Veneto. Un dialogo tra le arti figurative. Treviso: Canova, 2007, pp. 103-129

Schulz, Anne Markham. Woodcarving and Woodcarvers in Venice, 1350-1550. Florence: Centro D, 2011

Restauri a Venezia, 1967-1986. Venice: Stamperia di Venezia, 1986