Eternal Father with cherubim and angels

God the Father appears amid cherubim and angels in this celestial vision from 1496 at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. The Eternal Father enthroned in heaven was typically the uppermost element in multi-panel altarpieces, presiding over the sacred narrative below — and Perugino's treatment demonstrates his mastery of the heavenly register in sacred painting. Lyon's Museum of Fine Arts holds a significant collection of Italian Renaissance paintings that came to France through various channels during the early modern period, and this work represents the dispersal of Umbrian painting into French collections that makes Lyon an important repository of Perugino's art outside Italy.

The celestial composition arranges the divine figure amid clouds and angelic attendants, with the golden light of heaven pervading the scene. Perugino's treatment of the angelic faces shows his characteristic sweet expression multiplied across the heavenly chorus. The palette is warm and luminous, dominated by the golds and blues of celestial space.