439:
752:
711:
690:
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305:
669:
114:
791:
729:
22:
650:
102:
534:
288:(begun 1519), continuing the architecture of the architectural frame and therefore that of the original church setting for which it was painted. This was a radical rethink of the type, apparently set outside some temple portico with large soaring columns, viewed obliquely. The Virgin and Child are no longer at the centre of the composition, but to the right of the picture space.
126:
rapt stillness of mood, in which the Saints, scarcely looking at one another, seem to communicate at a spiritual rather than a material level". At least that is the case in earlier examples; later ones, from the 16th century onwards, often give the impression of more conventional conversations between the figures, who lean towards one another and interact more.
175:
had all the principal figures on a single level, or nearly so. They therefore tended to move towards a horizontal format, as there was little but angels and architecture to put at the top of a vertical one, unless the divine figures were raised on a very high throne, as in the unusual composition of
125:
The term is often used as a title for paintings to avoid listing all the individual figures, although the trend in museums and academic art history is now to give the full list. The name, which only appears as a title retrospectively in the 18th century, has been explained with reference to "their
198:). Often such works, especially if in a horizontal format and at half-length or with seated figures, were painted for the homes of wealthy faithful (and often collectors), whether for a private chapel or to be hung in other rooms, treated not unlike portraits or secular scenes.
751:
295:
concerned. The mixture of figures from different periods that is normal in the type makes it clear that no historical incident is being depicted, and whatever the setting, the space should be understood as mystical rather than any actual place.
375:. It was a northern speciality, when several of the figures beside the Virgin were sitting, on a bench or bank or on the ground, usually in a garden setting within an enclosure of some sort – originally a metaphor for the Virgin's womb, as the
774:
593:" that Palma Vecchio was "the inventor of the large Sacra Conversazione in which full-lengths of saints hold court in the presence of the Virgin ....", suggesting a rather more narrow sense of the term than prevails today.
235:). Having the Virgin the same size as the other figures is often regarded as essential to the type, so disqualifying most earlier works, where the Virgin is shown much larger. Among other artists to depict such a scene are
728:
274:
342:, with the figures mostly seated or kneeling in a rather tight group, combining informality and a monumental classicism. Such compositions also drew on traditional outdoor groups featuring the
194:
was one of the types of image that led to the horizontal format becoming common in panel paintings; before the
Renaissance it was rare in altar pieces (while the format was certainly common in
438:
689:
1062:
710:
546:
The term does not appear, referring to the subject of a picture, before
Italian references at the end of the 18th century; in 1979 the earliest use found was in inventories of the
467:
above the saints on the ground. There is typically a landscape background. As well as filling a vertical picture space, this had other advantages, allowing references to the
390:
These more relaxed groups were continued in
Venetian paintings set in open landscape. By the end of the 16th century, "the dominant relationships in an altarpiece such as
186:(c. 1503). Here as in many works, the Virgin and Child are seated on a throne, but the saints stand, so in more typical examples with the throne only slightly raised on a
499:
compositional type begins before 1500, and becomes increasingly popular during the century following, becoming by its end "the most common type of altarpiece in Italy".
574:). The earliest English meaning, from 1340, is defined by the OED as "The action of living or having one's being in a place or among persons", very close to the Latin.
668:
272:
The early examples such as the
Bellini illustrated rarely show actual "conversation" or much interaction, though this may be seen from the 16th century on, as in the
447:
517:
of 1512 are leading examples; in the latter the two saints are also kneeling on clouds, although the curtains to the sides and the ledge on which the famous angel-
291:
As in earlier altarpieces, the choice of saints is largely dictated by the patron saints of the donor and their family, and those of the church, city, diocese or
538:
577:
As the description of a painting, the term remained little used until the mid-19th century, when it was apparently popularized, at least in
English, by the
631:
649:
570:
is also rather complex; as in
English, it was a long time before the word came to mean merely people talking together (the 7th meaning listed in the
790:
483:
hinting at it may have been preferred by some patrons to a full depiction, which rather required the choice of saints to be restricted to the
98:
may also be included, generally kneeling, often their patron saint is presenting them to the Virgin, and angels are frequently in attendance.
610:
304:
566:
and
Catholic liturgy. But in these its meaning is more like "pious conduct" or "holy community". The development of meaning of the Italian
324:
had been developing the mostly northern tradition of outside settings in a garden or, especially later, an open landscape. The height of
623:
1246:
608:
was among those complaining about its use. Nigel Gauk-Roger says that the "first true sacra conversazione was almost certainly" the
406:
painting the Virgin is removed from the earth whenever the context allows", and the scenes are often set among the heavenly clouds.
1205:
113:
618:). All of these have standing saints in an architectural setting. Rona Goffen traces the origin of the type further back, to the
399:
1281:
1263:
1232:
1191:
1137:
586:
409:
Examples in sculpture are relatively rare, if only because of the number of figures involved. One exception was planned by
1298:
484:
347:
129:
In
Italian the term is perhaps used more often and more widely than is usually the case in English, for example covering
1308:
414:
75:
1303:
282:. In the first examples the setting is normally architectural, loosely representing heaven, but also, until Titian's
1269:
351:
94:
in a relatively informal grouping, as opposed to the more rigid and hierarchical compositions of earlier periods.
488:
468:
21:
168:
1211:
1162:
Goffen, Rona. "Nostra
Conversatio in Caelis Est: Observations on the Sacra Conversazione in the Trecento",
700:
101:
996:
629:
Most accounts of the development restrict themselves to Italy, ignoring northern parallels, despite the
533:
236:
1177:
655:
487:, and often had an empty tomb in the centre. Mary is sometimes being crowned by angels, while a full
330:
223:
207:
178:
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472:
442:
213:
253:
1277:
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1201:
1187:
1173:
1133:
459:
Another type of composition developed to suit the needs of vertical format altarpieces with a
391:
321:
1148:
525:
was "probably the first major
Italian artist to employ it repeatedly", painting over twenty.
1251:
1214:
1163:
992:
765:
695:
605:
361:
240:
106:
79:
66:
402:) were not between the figures within the picture but between them and the spectator." By "
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513:
292:
262:
248:
139:
1220:
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309:
284:
244:
95:
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228:
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of about 1503 had allowed a landscape to show above the lower zone with the saints.
757:
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636:
547:
492:
410:
384:
218:
87:
35:
476:
343:
164:
83:
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space. While traditional altarpieces generally retained a vertical format, the
1083:
Goffen, 198 and note 4, who refers to the revised "North Italy" volume of 1871
421:, though he left the project before the two Medici patron saints flanking his
596:
Later art historians have commonly placed the origin of the type in works by
659:
325:
183:
160:
619:
597:
418:
156:
30:
463:. Here the Virgin and Child are placed, usually upon clouds, in mid-air
1167:
680:
559:
502:
403:
134:
796:
615:
279:
258:
232:
195:
1258:, Vol. I, 1971 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London,
1172:"Grove": Nigel Gauk-Roger. "Sacra conversazione." Grove Art Online.
74:), meaning "holy (or sacred) conversation", is a genre developed in
995:. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Weborn 26 Feb. 2017.
143:
where the Virgin and Child hover in the air well above the saints.
532:
518:
437:
354:
and Madonna and Child compositions with angels and other figures.
303:
112:
100:
91:
45:(frame removed), sometimes considered the "first" instance of the
20:
1239:
The Art of Italy in the Royal Collection; Renaissance and Baroque
639:
clearly representing the same type, from as early as 1434–36, as
558:, appears several times in the key texts of the church, from the
155:
developed as artists replaced earlier hieratic and compartmented
1196:
Hope, Charles, "Titian's Life and Times", in Jaffé, David (ed),
521:
lean keep the setting tied to the earth. From the 1520s onwards
367:, and when she is surrounded by female saints it is known as a
187:
475:. The latter doctrine was still a matter of controversy in the
167:
with compositions in which figures interacted within a unified
982:
Hall, 331, giving a long list of saints on the next two pages.
946:
Boase, T.S.R. (1979). "Giorgio Vasari. The Man and the Book".
571:
396:
Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine and John the Evangelist
275:
Madonna and Child with Saints Luke and Catherine of Alexandria
427:
were done; these were made by others following his designs.
550:
from 1763 and 1797. But the term, in its Latin equivalents
614:
by Domenico Veneziano from around 1445–47 (main panel now
1130:
Van Eyck and the Founders of Early Netherlandish Painting
818:– a Victorian gathering focused on the arts or sciences
448:
Virgin and Child with Saint Bernardino and Other Saints
357:
The Virgin placed in an enclosed garden is known as
784:
depicted by a member of the Cologne school, c. 1520
190:, the adult heads are at about the same level. The
109:, 1505, who also developed types for wealthy homes.
1276:, 1970, London: Thames and Hudson (World of Art),
1200:, The National Gallery Company/Yale, London 2003,
1225:The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, Volume I
1184:Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art
119:Madonna and Child with Saints Dorothy and George
1176:. Oxford University Press. Weborn 4 Mar. 2017.
539:The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
54:
8:
1223:, National Gallery Catalogues (new series):
837:in Encyclopædia Britannica; but not by Grove
782:Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints
622:, examining several examples, many from the
1227:, 2004, National Gallery Publications Ltd,
1166:, vol. 61, no. 2, 1979, pp. 198–222.,
377:
369:
359:
338:became a specialist in strongly horizontal
991:RC, 214; Grove; Rylands, Philip, "Palma."
762:The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor
1132:, p. 82, 1999, Harvey Miller Publishers,
632:Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
387:, marking Mary's conception of Christ.
251:. Some scholars have suggested that the
1241:, Royal Collection Publications, 2007,
827:
745:, in this case the artist and his wife.
645:
1237:"RC": Lucy Whitaker, Martin Clayton,
65:
7:
1274:Venetian painting: A concise history
1101:Goffen, 199, citing several examples
320:Also in the 1510s, Titian and other
267:"prima conversazione sacra italiana"
624:Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
611:Santa Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece
67:[ˈsaːkrakoɱversatˈtsjoːne]
14:
383:began as a representation of the
133:compositions in the tradition of
1186:, 1996 (2nd edn.), John Murray,
1016:Schiller, 52–55 & figs 126-9
789:
773:
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727:
709:
688:
667:
648:
589:. They claimed "with remarkable
491:would be by at least one of the
1063:this Wikimedia Commons category
400:Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna
1217:, 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2017
1212:Glossary: Sacra Conversazione.
1:
348:Rest on the Flight into Egypt
39:
1256:Iconography of Christian Art
579:History of Painting in Italy
76:Italian Renaissance painting
948:Bollingen Series, Princeton
1325:
1052:Penny, 163–165, 163 quoted
581:(3 volumes, 1864–1866) by
455:composition, c. 1540–1545.
352:Adoration of the Shepherds
78:, with a depiction of the
308:Landscape setting with a
1061:Penny, 163, quoted; see
604:or Fra Angelico, though
489:Coronation of the Virgin
469:Coronation of the Virgin
105:Example for a church by
265:can be regarded as the
201:Early examples are the
701:Madonna of the Harpies
626:, and at half-length.
543:
456:
378:
370:
360:
317:
122:
110:
55:
50:
1178:Subscription required
1168:subscription required
997:subscription required
873:Steer, 62, quoted; NG
536:
441:
307:
237:Piero della Francesca
116:
104:
24:
1299:Iconography of Jesus
780:Hortus conclusus in
741:, c. 1509, with two
735:Virgo inter Virgines
656:Castelfranco Madonna
635:(and two saints) by
371:Virgo inter Virgines
331:Castelfranco Madonna
224:Barbadori Altarpiece
208:San Marco Altarpiece
179:Castelfranco Madonna
90:) amidst a group of
1309:Italian Renaissance
909:Steer, 79–84; Grove
835:sacra conversazione
481:sacra conversatione
461:sacra conversatione
340:sacre conversazioni
203:Annalena Altarpiece
192:sacra conversazione
173:sacra conversazione
153:sacra conversazione
72:sacre conversazioni
57:sacra conversazione
47:sacra conversazione
26:Annalena Altarpiece
1304:Virgin Mary in art
1119:Goffen, throughout
1065:for many of these.
811:Conversation piece
602:Domenico Veneziano
544:
523:Moretto da Brescia
508:Madonna of Foligno
473:Assumption of Mary
457:
443:Moretto da Brescia
318:
300:Landscape settings
214:Fiesole Altarpiece
123:
111:
51:
1252:Schiller, Gertrud
1174:Oxford Art Online
719:Pesaro Altarpiece
643:has pointed out.
552:santa conversatio
392:Annibale Carracci
285:Pesaro Altarpiece
211:(c. 1438–43) and
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1164:The Art Bulletin
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511:of 1511 and his
424:Virgin and Child
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362:hortus conclusus
241:Giovanni Bellini
107:Giovanni Bellini
80:Virgin and Child
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263:Siena Cathedral
261:in 1308–11 for
249:Andrea Mantegna
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96:Donor portraits
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562:Bible, to the
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245:Paolo Veronese
205:(c. 1438–40),
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43: 1438–40
16:Painting genre
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446:
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411:Michelangelo
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346:such as the
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163:formats for
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88:infant Jesus
71:
56:
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36:Fra Angelico
29:
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1270:Steer, John
1206:1 857099036
846:Rylands; NG
477:Reformation
344:Holy Family
257:painted by
165:altarpieces
147:Development
84:Virgin Mary
1293:Categories
1282:0500201013
1264:0853312702
1233:1857099087
1192:0719541476
1157:References
1138:1872501281
641:Otto Pächt
70:; plural:
53:In art, a
1043:Hall, 325
1034:Hall, 327
954:(20): 90.
918:Hall, 297
716:Titian's
683:, 1512–13
662:, c. 1503
660:Giorgione
542:, 1434–36
529:Etymology
465:(in aria)
326:Giorgione
322:Venetians
316:, c. 1519
184:Giorgione
161:polyptych
121:, 1515–18
86:with the
973:Hope, 16
805:See also
620:Trecento
598:Masaccio
485:Apostles
479:, and a
419:Florence
413:for the
221:and the
157:triptych
117:Titian,
63:Italian:
31:predella
927:RC, 214
681:Raphael
560:Vulgate
503:Raphael
497:in aria
471:or the
453:in aria
432:In aria
404:Baroque
398:(1593,
231:(1437,
135:Raphael
131:in aria
1280:
1262:
1245:
1231:
1210:"NG":
1204:
1198:Titian
1190:
1136:
799:, 1627
797:Rubens
704:, 1517
616:Uffizi
495:. The
350:, the
280:Titian
259:Duccio
254:Maestà
247:, and
233:Louvre
196:murals
92:saints
49:format
1110:Grove
1025:Grove
1007:Grove
936:Grove
891:Grove
864:Grove
823:Notes
768:type.
583:Crowe
519:putti
82:(the
28:with
1278:ISBN
1260:ISBN
1243:ISBN
1229:ISBN
1202:ISBN
1188:ISBN
1134:ISBN
591:élan
585:and
554:and
188:dais
176:the
151:The
952:XXV
572:OED
505:'s
417:in
394:’s
328:'s
278:by
227:by
217:by
182:by
159:or
137:'s
34:by
1295::
1272:,
1254:,
964:NG
950:.
882:NG
760:,
737:,
698:,
679:,
658:,
600:,
445:,
312:,
269:.
243:,
239:,
40:c.
38:,
1266:,
61:(
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