Paradise

This depiction of Paradise, painted in 1445, is among Giovanni di Paolo's most celebrated works. Originally part of a larger altarpiece depicting the Last Judgment, it shows the blessed in a verdant garden guided by angels. The painting's vision of paradise as a flower-filled meadow draws on both Dante's Paradiso and the long tradition of hortus conclusus imagery. It was transferred from wood to canvas, indicating its long history of care and restoration.

The tempera and gold technique creates a luminous, otherworldly effect appropriate to the heavenly subject. The rich greens and flower-studded meadow are painted with miniaturist precision, while the gold ground and halos create a transcendent light. The figures are arranged in a rhythmic procession that draws the eye through the garden.