Predella of La Madonna della Rondine

This predella panel from the Madonna della Rondine (Madonna of the Swallow) altarpiece of 1493 at the National Gallery, London, belongs to Crivelli's late period. The predella's narrative scenes demonstrate his storytelling ability in miniature format, each panel packed with the decorative detail and emotional intensity that characterized his work throughout a career spent entirely in the Marche. Characteristic of Crivelli's approach, the work displays ornate gilded decoration, crystalline detail, anatomical expressiveness, elaborately carved-looking forms.

The compressed predella format concentrates Crivelli's decorative energy into a small space, with his distinctive sharp-focus technique rendering every textile, architectural element, and facial expression with crystalline clarity.