Altarpiece of St. Vincent Ferrer

The Altarpiece of Saint Vincent Ferrer (c. 1500) at the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, is a polyptych commemorating the Dominican preacher and miracle-worker who had been canonized in 1455. Vincent Ferrer, whose passionate preaching and legendary miracles had made him one of the most celebrated saints of the late medieval church, was an important figure for the Dominican order whose church housed the altarpiece. Bellini's polyptych format — an archaizing choice for the turn of the sixteenth century — served the specific liturgical and devotional requirements of a major Dominican church, connecting the new work to the tradition of earlier Dominican altarpieces that had accumulated in the building.

The polyptych format allows Bellini to develop narrative across multiple panels, with each scene demonstrating his characteristic luminous color and careful attention to architectural and natural settings.