Art in Tuscany | Ugolino di Nerio | Podere Santa Pia, Holiday house in the south of Tuscany

Ugolino di Nerio

Ugolino di Nerio (1280? - 1349) was an Italian painter active in his native city of Siena and in Florence between the years 1317 and 1327. Ugolino is documented in Siena in 1325 and 1327. The style of his work suggests that he was possibly trained, or at least heavily influenced, by Duccio, the most important Sienese artist of the 14th century. Ugolino's major work was the altarpiece for the church of Santa Croce in Florence. All of the National Gallery's panels are from this dismembered polyptych.

He was a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, from whose Maestà some of his scenes are clearly derived. Ugolino created a more expressive interpretation of Duccio's work, using a novel range of colours. Ugolino's large workshop included his father and two of his brothers, who were also painters.
In spite of his Sienese roots, it seems that most of his important work was done in Florence. He was a leading master who contributed to the spread of Sienese painting in Florence by earning commissions to paint in the two main basilicas there. In addition to the Franciscan Santa Croce altarpiece, he also worked on an altarpiece for the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella. The altarpiece for Santa Croce was the most important commission in a series of works that the Franciscans entrusted to him. At least eight polyptychs have survived in parts. Other important polyptychs are in the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts. His best known Madonna is in the Chiesa della Misericordia, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and there is one in the Louvre.

The Santa Croce Altarpiece
This series of paintings comes from a group of panels which formed the predella, of the high altarpiece at Santa Croce, Florence. The early Italian High Altar by Ugolino di Nerio for Santa Croce, the great Franciscan church of Florence, is well-documented. With at least thirty-five sections in all, this massive altar was painted and erected c. 1325-30. These panels recall Duccio's sense of style and organization, as Ugolino was still working with Byzantine line and colour. The altar was dismantled shortly after 1566 and moved to the church's dormitory. By the 1830s, most of its panel had been sold. Now the surviving panels are scattered among museums and private collections. The central panel, which depicted the Madonna and Child and was signed by Ugolino, is now lost.
The Last Supper
This painting of the Last Supper formed part of the predella of the now dismembered altarpiece.
The Betrayal of Christ
The Roman Soldiers have come to arrest Christ. At the centre Judas betrays Christ with a kiss as described in the New Testament (Matthew 26: 47-52). On the left Saint Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus. The scene takes place at night; illumination is provided by the torches held aloft. This panel formed the second scene after the 'Last Supper' (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lehman Collection) in the predella of the high altarpiece of S. Croce, Florence. The altarpiece was probably paid for by the Alamanni family, whose coat of arms was originally on it.

The Deposition
Joseph of Arimathea (?), on the ladder, lowers the dead Christ from the cross. The Virgin, accompanied by the Maries, embraces him. Saint John the Evangelist supports Christ on the right, while Nicodemus (?) removes a nail from his feet. This incident is not described in the Gospels. This panel formed the fifth of the seven scenes of Christ's Passion in the predella of the high altarpiece of S. Croce, Florence. The composition is similar to that of the same subject in Duccio's Maestà (Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo).
Isaiah
This three-quarter-length depiction of the Old Testament prophet shows him holding a scroll in his left hand and looking to the left. The inscription derives from his prophecy (Isaiah 7:14), which was interpreted as predicting the birth of Jesus. This panel formed the second pinnacle from the left of the high altarpiece of S. Croce.		Der Prophet Jesaja, 1317-1327, National Gallery, London
Saint Simon and Saint Thaddeus (Jude)
Saint Simon on the left, holds a book, while Saint Thaddeus, who turns to the right, holds a knife. Three unidentified heads are depicted between decorative motifs in the band of quatrefoils below. This panel formed the second section from right of the upper tier, below the pinnacles of the high altarpiece of S. Croce, Florence. It was placed beneath the pinnacle depicting Jeremiah and above Saint Francis in the main tier. The tier from which it came showed mainly apostles.
Saint Bartholomew and Saint Andrew
Saint Bartholomew, at the back, holds a scroll in his left hand and blesses (?) with his right, revealing an ornate garment beneath his cloak. Saint Andrew, at the right, holds a book. The panel formed the third section from the left, below the pinnacles, of the high altarpiece of S. Croce, Florence. It was above a depiction of Saint Paul in the main tier below 'David'.
The Resurrection
Christ steps triumphant out of the tomb while four soldiers sleep in the foreground. New Testament (Matthew 28: 2-4). He holds the banner of the Resurrection with a red cross on a white ground.

Ugolino di Nerio, Madonna and Child with a Donor, about 1335, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Santa Maria del Prato		Ugolino di Nerio, Madonna and Child with a Donor, about 1335, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Santa Maria del Prato
Cucifixion with Saint Francis Ugolino di Nerio about 1315-1320 Gold and tempera on panel, 67.5 x 44.4 cm Siena, Pinacoteca Nazionale
'When this damaged but exquisite picture was first published in 1911, it was framed as a triptych with two wings by the Master of Monte Oliveto (41.190.31bc). The triptych must have been a modern creation, for not only are the wings by another master and later in date, but the iconography of the panel, which includes Saints Clare and Francis, is self-sufficient. It was probably painted as an independent devotional panel for a convent of Franciscan nuns, or Poor Clares (the order founded by Clare, the first female follower of Saint Francis). It is a work of extremely high quality. The attribution has been much disputed but the elegantly elongated figures relate in style to the works of Duccio and those of his most faithful follower, Ugolino di Nerio. The picture has, indeed, often been ascribed to a follower or associate of Ugolino. The tooling of the gold is hand-inscribed and this helps to establish a date prior to ca. 1320, when Sienese artists, following the example of Simone Martini, began to use motif punches to decorate the gold background. The picture may be an early work by Ugolino himself.' Catalogue Entry The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York \| www.metmuseum.org	,	Attributed to Ugolino di Nerio, The Crucifixion, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Davies, Martin. In: "National Gallery Catalogues: Catalogue of the Earlier Italian Schools". National Gallery Catalogues, London 1961, 1986.