Miracle of the profaned host
Paolo Uccello·1467
Historical Context
Paolo Uccello's Miracle of the Profaned Host, painted around 1467-1468 for the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche in Urbino, is a predella cycle telling the medieval legend of a Jewish merchant who desecrated a consecrated communion wafer. This deeply anti-Semitic narrative, while reflecting the prejudices of the era, prompted Uccello to create some of his most innovative compositions, with dramatically receding perspective schemes and vivid narrative staging.
Technical Analysis
Uccello's characteristic obsession with perspective creates dramatically receding interiors, while the bold color contrasts and geometric spatial construction give each scene a compelling visual clarity.
