Niccolò di Pietro Gerini
Itilian, 1368-1415 (active)

Crucifixion, 1390-1395 ca.
tempera and gilt on panel
28 1/8 x 15 7/8 in.

SBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
1981.14

RESEARCH PAPER

In addition to "St. Andrew Exorcising the Devils", there is currently in the Museum a second painting by Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, a "Crucifixion", which is [a gift] from Wright Ludington. Painted in egg tempera with gilt on a wooden panel, it measures 28 x l5 3/4 inches. First attributed to Agnolo Gaddi, the panel was recognized as a work of Gerini by a scholar of the Italian Renaissance, Miklos Boskovits, who mentioned that Bernard Berenson had tentatively attributed the work to Gerini and that he (Boskovits) had included it in a book he wrote as a definitive work of Gerini dating from 1390-95. Peter Meller, a professor of art history at UCSB, examined the painting in 1974 and found it to be an exciting, interesting piece, particularly in the treatment of the heads, which he called subtle and sophisticated.

The composition follows a traditional format with the upright figures of the Virgin and St. John flanking the Cross and, in front of the Virgin, Mary Magdalen kneeling at the feet of Christ. The inner sides of the three figures form an inverted triangle, which, with the horizontal bar of the cross as its base, sets off the figure of Christ. One's eye is led in a diamond shaped path from the head of Christ, to the Virgin, down her arms and those of Mary Magdalen and then back up from her hands to the head of St. John, whose gaze is turned slightly up toward Christ and the Virgin (whom Christ had asked John to care for after His death). The composition seems simple and direct with no distracting scenery, though there is a horizon line, which creates a feeling of space.

This crucifixion seems closely related to a work in the Yale University Gallery, another crucifixion, the left panel of a triptych attributed to Lorenzo di Niccolo and assistant circa 1400 (though Bernard Berenson included the whole piece in the work of Niccolò di Pietro Gerini with only the right panel attributed to Lorenzo di Niccolo). The Santa Barbara panel is wider and does not seem as crowded as the one at Yale; there seems to be space behind and around the figures. Also, the taller proportions of the two standing figures in relation to that of Christ and Mary Magdalen seem more successful than in the other work. In both paintings Christ's arms hang down below the horizontal bar of the cross, which is surmounted by the letters INRI, indicating Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

In the Santa Barbara panel the top portion ends in a truncated triangular shape, suggesting perhaps that it was cut down from the more usual arched form. Evidence to support this can be seen in the way the raised trefoil decoration on both sides in the upper area ends abruptly instead of completing an arch. There is a considerable amount of over-painting. Covering the figures of Christ and St. John as well as areas of damage on the Virgin's robe, there is an oil type glaze applied in fine parallel lines imitating early tempera and oil techniques. The oil paint tends to emphasize light and shadow and to exaggerate the modeling of the figures so the panel might be more subtle if it were cleaned. Because of the over-painting, the hues of the original colors are uncertain, though undoubtedly the Virgin's robe was the traditional blue and Mary Magdalen's still the red of passion. Gold is used extensively in the decorative borders of the drapery and the halos as well as for the background. Punchwork of floral patterns and circles were stamped in the gold after the gilding.

Niccolò Di Pietro Gerini was a follower in the Giottesque tradition, particularly in the clear composition and solid figures of his work. He was probably a pupil of Taddeo Gaddi, who was himself a student of Giotto. Gerini was also influenced by Orcagna (Andrea di Cione) in the heaviness of his figures; he is known to have collaborated on several pieces with Orcagna's brother, Jacopo di Cione. The earliest date for Niccolò di Pietro Gerini is l368, when he registered in the Guild of the "Medici e Speziali" in Florence. He is thought to have died in 1415 because early in 1416 his heirs were paid the commission for some of his work. Between these two dates he is known to have worked on frescoes, altarpieces and some stained glass window designs in the cities of Florence, Pisa and Prato.

During the five year period to which Boskovits assigned this work, Gerini worked with Agnolo Gaddi in Prato for Francesco Datini, a local merchant who later gave Gerini additional commissions. He also collaborated during this time with Spinello Aretino, who could have influenced the treatment of space in our Crucifixion, going beyond his initial imitation of Taddeo Gaddi and Orcagna. In l395 Gerini was working with Lorenzo di Niccolo, previously thought to have been his son but now considered simply a pupil of his. The two artists were painting a large crucifix for Datini, who is known to have asked that the figures in the works for him be as pious and exprssive as possible. The two artists were so pleased with the results of their work that they wrote to Datini "it is so well drawn that, if Giotto had done it, he could not have done better."

Judging from the number of commissions he received, Gerini must have been one of the most popular Florentine artists at that time. However, based on the work attributed to him, today he is judged to be of fairly low importance among artists of the late trecento. He is often criticized for not showing much creativity in his work, painting rigid figures in a traditional compositional format. Gerini is given credit, however, for the drama and emotion of his scenes. Because he employed many assistants and pupils in his workshop during the last decades of the 14th century, the Giottesque style of painting was carried on in Florence into the early 15th century.

Prepared for the SBMA Docent Council by Deanne Violich, October 1980

BIBLIOGRAPHY [supplements the bibliography for Gerini - "St. Andrew Exorcising Devils"]

Cole, Bruce, "A New work by the Young Lorenzo di Niccolo", Art Quarterly, v. 33, no. 2 (1970), p. 116.