The pre-conservation studies and analyses of Giovanni Bellini’s Frari Triptych have been made possible thanks to the generous support of Merrill Shields & Dr. M. Ray Thomasson.

Acclaimed by 19th-century art critic John Ruskin as one of “the best pictures in the world,” the Frari Triptych reveals Giovanni Bellini’s extremely refined brushwork and his ability in depicting the psychological depth of the figures. Bellini was commissioned to paint the Frari Triptych in 1488 to honor Franceschina Tron who had died in 1478. The altarpiece was part of a broader project that included the erection and decoration of the sacristy’s chapel where Franceschina was buried. Her tomb slab still lies today in the center of its original architectural setting, right before the altar, and carries an inscription with the names of the patrons—Franceschina’s sons Nicolò, Benedetto, and Marco Pesaro. The Pesaro patronage is considered among the most remarkable commissions of the time, as it honors a woman rather than a man. Indeed, evidence suggests that Franceschina was the only woman to have been commemorated in such a magnificent way in the Basilica dei Frari in the 15th century.

Bellini’s three-panel painting has miraculously survived intact along with its original, richly carved, and gilded Gothic frame. On the back of the frame, there are two inscriptions—one recording the name of the craftsman who carved it, “Jacopo da Faenza,” and the other bearing the date when the painting was installed above the altar on “15 February 1489”. On the front of the central panel, a third inscription on the pedestal between two playing cherubs specifies the name of the painter and the date of the work: “IOANNES BELLINVS F[ECIT] 1488.” Bellini was also likely involved in the design of the frame, which in fact appears to be integrated with the painted architecture, giving the impression of a cross-section of a church interior.

In designing the Frari Triptych, Bellini opted for a format with a tall, barrel-vaulted central panel and two rectangular wings with flat roofs—a structure that can surprisingly be found in some Byzantine silver plates dating to ca. 629-630. In this church-like setting, Bellini had the Virgin sit with the blessing Child in an apse topped by a semi-dome and a vault covered with golden mosaics. The two-line inscription running across the semi-dome addresses the Virgin as the Sure Gate of Heaven: “Secure gates of heaven, lead my spirit, direct my life, all my actions are commended to your solicitude.” Bellini copied this passage from a Divine Office printed for the first time in Venice in 1478—the very year Franceschina died—and approved by Pope Sixtus IV for reading at the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin.

The onomastic saints of Franceschina’s three sons and husband—Saints Nicholas of Bari and Peter (left), Benedict and Mark (right)—stand in pairs on the triptych’s two wings. These four saints were highly regarded by Bellini’s contemporaries, including the famous German artist Albrecht Dürer whose Four Holy Men were clearly inspired by the Venetian model. Although painted on two separate panels, the four saints occupy two spaces illusionistically unified to the central one through Bellini’s unrivaled use of light, color, and mathematical perspective. Among them, Benedict appears to be the most prominent as he stares out of the painting, confronting the viewer with piercing eyes. His strong, almost aggressive attitude may be seen as a reflection of Benedetto Pesaro, the audacious generalissimo da mar celebrated by the grandiose funerary monument that frames the entrance to the Frari’s sacristy. What is certain is that the figure of Saint Benedict also serves a symbolic purpose, since he shows to the viewer the book Ecclesiasticus open at a passage that alludes to the Immaculate Conception, a tenet strongly advocated by the Franciscan order.

Conservators and conservation scientists will conduct non-invasive analysis, including UV and Infrared photography, to map the condition of the painting and determine the extent of the visible damage on the pictorial surface. The wooden support and the back of the triptych will also be inspected for stability and structural integrity.

Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1424/30 – 1516)
Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas of Bari, Peter, Benedict, and Mark (Frari Triptych)
1488, oil on panel
115 x 46 cm

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari: Homepage
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari: Link to the Work

Bätschmann, Oskar. Giovanni Bellini. London: Reaktion Books, 2008

Goffen, Rona. Piety and Patronage in Renaissance Venice. Bellini, Titian, and the Franciscans. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1986

Lucco, Mauro, ed. Giovanni Bellini. Catalogo ragionato. Treviso: Zel Edizioni, 2019

Poldi, Gianluca and Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa, eds. Bellini a Venezia. Sette opere indagate nel loro contesto. Milan: Silvana Editoriale, 2009