Sandei Altarpiece
Gentile da Fabriano·1410
Historical Context
The Sandei Altarpiece, painted around 1410, is an early masterwork by Gentile da Fabriano from his formative years working in the Marche region. Named after its original location, the work demonstrates Gentile's already sophisticated command of the International Gothic idiom before his famous travels to Venice and Florence. The painting is now held at the Villa I Tatti, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Settignano near Florence. It represents a crucial document for understanding Gentile's artistic development before his landmark Strozzi Altarpiece of 1423.
Technical Analysis
The composition reveals Gentile's early mastery of ornamental surface patterning combined with subtle naturalistic observation. Gold tooling and punch-work create richly textured halos and backgrounds, while the figures show the graceful, swaying postures characteristic of the International Gothic style that Gentile would bring to its highest expression in Italian painting.
