Purple Passion of Fra Angelico

Purple Passion of Fra Angelico

Originating from one of the greatest artists of the Italian Quattrocento, this treasure contains nine miniature pages of the Passion of Christ. The small format, similar to that of a book of hours, illustrates the private character of small books as a medium to a more personal immersion into the suffering of Christ. Drafted on purple parchment by Fra Angelico, a Dominican monk from Florence and an important artist of his time, the important scenes of the Passion are depicted with fine ink strokes and wonderful modeling in white and orange on the bright purple parchment. The Purple Passion offers an immediate glimpse into the finishing-process of illumination, and is also connected with the Medici family.

The Medici Connection

Through research it has been speculated that the pictures of the Purple Passion of Fra Angelico are also templates and first draft designs for the famous Armadio degli Argenti in the church of Santissima. Fra Angelico finished the images for the Silver Cabinet of the meaningful church in Florence at the behest of Piero de Medici (1416–1469) in the year 1451 or so. 41 scenes of the life of Christ are depicted in light, bright colors in the typical style of Florentine artists. The drawings of the Purple Passion are dated to the middle of the 15th century, suggesting a further connection to the art.

Drawings of the Highest Quality

The book is in the format of 10 x 8 cm and contains 24 pages with 8 wonderful whole-page miniatures. These depict scenes from the Passion of Christ, from the Last Supper to the Christ’s arrest, up to the Crucifixion. Also, surrounded by the fine frames, the drawings impress with their striking and simultaneously surprisingly simple composition. The figures are especially well worked through, with finely modelled lines that are skillfully and cautiously individualized. What’s more, the scenes have a lot of movement. Fra Angelico worked into his art his exatrordinary ways, managing to communication everything important with few means. Therein lies the special quality of the miniatures of the Purple Passion. The special, valuable material of purple parchment with its extremely intense color carried with weigh with the appearance of the depictions.

The Outstanding Florentine Artist of Religious Subjects

The Florentine artist of the drawings, the well-known Fra Angelico (1395–1455), was a monk of the Dominican Order and was also a celebrated painter. He finished contracts above all for important clerical patrons, like Churches and Cloisters. His pictorial themes are mainly religious, known especially for his altar pictures. The importance of Fra Angelico is today is due to the fact that he was said to be blessed. The nine pages of the Purple Passion were up until 1927 bound together in a small album, but were later divided due to the request of a collector. Today they are still divided between two museums on two different continents. In this wonderful treasure, with the Coat of Arms of the Medici on the binding, these two pieces of written proof of the grandiose art of Fra Angelico are reunited.