Piero della Francesca Frescoes Detail Adam's Death

PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA
Featured Paintings in Detail
(3)
(Legend of the True Cross-fresco cycle in Arezzo)

Death of Adam
1452-66
Fresco, 390 x 747 cm
San Francesco, Arezzo

Death of Adam (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
Adam dispatches his son Seth to the gates
of paradise. There he is to ask for the oil of
mercy, with which to salve his fathers's body
and make him well. In the right foreground is
the scene, in which Adam, supported by Eve
standing behind him, sits on the ground and
makes his request to the white-bearded Seth.
A youthful couple also appears in the scene:
a nude man seen from the back, leaning on
his staff, and a young woman in a hair shirt,
standing behind Adam and turned frontally
toward the viewer.

1452-66
Fresco
Adam, supported by Eve standing
behind him, sits on the ground.

1452-66
Fresco
A youthful couple also appears in the
scene: a nude man seen from the back,
leaning on his staff, and a young woman
in a hair shirt, standing behind Adam and
turned frontally toward the viewer.

1452-66
Fresco
A youthful couple also appears in the
scene: a nude man seen from the
back, leaning on his staff, and a young
woman in a hair shirt, standing behind
Adam and turned frontally toward the
viewer.

1452-66
Fresco
Eve, standing behind the sitting
Adam, supports him.

1452-66
Fresco
Adam dispatches his son Seth to the gates of
paradise. There he is to ask for the oil of mercy,
with which to salve his fathers's body and make
him well. Instead of the oil, the archangel
Michael gives Seth the seeds of the fruit from
the Tree of Knowledge, with the prophecy that
Adam will only recover once the tree grown from
these seeds bears fruit. From this seeds would
grow the tree that was to provide the wood for
building the CrossThis scene is included in the
middle distance of the larger one, where we see
the tiny figures of Seth and the archangel.

1452-66
Fresco
In the left half of the lunette Adam is
being buried. The dead man lies
stretched out in his newly dug grave and
Seth is placing the seeds under his
tongue. Adam's family is gathered around
the grave, their gestures expressive of
their grief. Directly behind the grave
stands the tree that will later sprout from
one of the seeds; as the angel's prophecy
might have told us, it has yet to bear
leaves and fruit. Even so, it serves to
suggest the leap in time that leads into
the subsequent events.

1452-66
Fresco
The identity of the figure cloaked
in red is not determined.

1452-66
Fresco
This detail shows two youths on the left, who
witness with dismay the first death in the
history of man. They are undoubtedly among the
most noble and natural creations of the painting
of all time. They have always been considered
Adamites (part of Adam's family). However, they
can also be mythological figures. The two stand
apart from the others and are deeply involved
with one another, in an intensely emotional
rapport expressed by their gazes. The young
man, dressed in a feline skin with a long tail,
grasps the arm of the young woman, who is
dressed in Roman style and whose face is of the
purest beauty.

1452-66
Fresco

a. Procession of the Queen of
Sheba
1452-66
Fresco

a. Procession of the Queen of Sheba (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
According to the legend, the tree grown from Adam's grave stood and prospered into the time of Solomon, who had it cut down so he could use it in building a house. As it happened, the wood was not suitable for this
purpose, so his workers laid the hewn log across a stream to serve as a bridge. As the Queen of Sheba passed by on her visit to the wise Solomon, she came to the bridge and foresaw that one day the world's saviour would
hang from this beam. She therefore refused to step on it, and instead knelt before it in veneration.

1452-66
Fresco
Behind the Queen of Sheba, kneeling in adoration, is her
retinue of aristocratic ladies in waiting, with their high
foreheads (according to the fashion of the time)
emphasizing the round shape of their heads and the
cylindrical form of the neck. Their velvet cloaks softly
envelop their bodies, reaching all the way to the ground.
The almost perfect regularity of the composition is
underlined by the two trees in the background, whose
leaves hover like umbrellas above the two groups of the
women and of the grooms holding the horses. And yet
Piero's constant attention to the regularity of proportions
and the construction according to perspective never
gives way to artificially sophisticated compositions,
schematic symmetries or anything forced.

Sheba (detail)
1452-66
Fresco

1452-66
Fresco
Behind the Queen of Sheba, kneeling in adoration, is her retinue of aristocratic ladies in waiting, with their high foreheads (according to the fashion of the time) emphasizing the round shape of their heads and the cylindrical form of
the neck

Sheba (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
The detail shows grooms and
horses from the train of the
Queen of Sheba.

b. Meeting between the Queen of
Sheba and King Solomon
1452-66
Fresco

b. Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
To the right we see the Queen of Sheba's encounter with Solomon, which takes place in a temple-like structure. Solomon stands with his courtiers; the queen, entering from the right, deferentially bows to him. The queen
prophesied to Solomon that the dominion of the Jews would one day be destroyed by the man who would hang from that beam. Solomon's response was to have the beam sunk in a well.

b. Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King
Solomon (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
This famous scene takes place within an
architectural structure, enlivened by decorations of
coloured marble. Everything seems created
according to architectural principles: even the
three ladies standing behind the Queen are placed
so as to form a sort of open church apse behind
her. There is a real sense of spatial depth between
the characters witnessing the event; and their
heads, one behind the other, are placed on
different planes. This distinction of spatial spaces
is emphasized also by the different colour
tonalities, with which Piero has by this stage in his
career entirely replaced his technique of outlining
the shapes used in previous frescoes.

.
Sheba and King Solomon (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
Solomon stands with his
courtiers; the queen, entering
from the right, deferentially bows

Sheba and King Solomon (detail)
1452-66
Fresco

b. Meeting between the Queen of Sheba
and King Solomon (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
There is an overall feeling of solemn
rituality, rather like a lay ceremony: from
Solomon's priestly gravity to the ladies
aristocratic dignity. Each figure, thanks
to the slightly lowered viewpoint,
becomes more imposing and graceful;
Piero even succeeds in making the
characteristic figure of the fat courtier on
the left, dressed in red, looks dignified.

Exaltation of the Cross
1452-66

Exaltation of the Cross (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
The Eastern Emperor Heraclius wages war on
the Persian King and, having defeated him,
returns to Jerusalem with the Holy Wood. But a
divine power prevents the emperor from making
his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. So
Heraclius, setting aside all pomp and
magnificence, enters the city carrying the Cross
in a gesture of humility, following Jesus Christ's
example.

1452-66
Fresco
The Oriental noblemen wear splendid
Greek headdresses, the exotic elegance
of them had been admired by all
Florentines at the time.

1452-66
Fresco

1452-66
Fresco
Heraclius, barefoot, has carried the
cross up to the walls of Jerusalem.
There he and his train are met by a
group of men who kneel down before
the cross in veneration.

1452-66
Fresco
The group of Jerusalem notables, young and old, kneel as they worshipfully receive the Holy Wood. The faces, with perfectly conserved flesh tones, have various expressions showing the ecstasy of their adoration.

Annunciation
1452-66

Annunciation (detail)
1452-66
Fresco
From up in heaven the Eternal Father, seen in
half-length, stretches out his arms sending down
the Holy Spirit in the form of golden rays of light.
The Lord is represented as a good, white-haired
old man, similar to King Chosroes: the head, in
fact, was made using the same cartoon.

1452-66
Fresco
The light from the window highlights the pure white marble
column that divides the scene in two parts and supports the
entablature of the porch where Mary stands. Unlike many
other Virgins of the Annunciation, especially by fourteenth-
century artists, who receive the announcement humbly and
almost fearfully, Piero's Virgin stands, and is rather taller than
life-sized. She is regal, with a very beautiful expression,
serious, but untroubled. In the background to the right, there
is a small glimpse of the nuptial chamber, with the rear wall
decorated with a perspective cubes motif.

1452-66
Fresco

1452-66
Fresco
Mary is regal, with a very beautiful expression,
serious, but untroubled, since she is already
aware of the meaning of the divine message
foretold in the Holy Scriptures, which she had
been reading.

1452-66
Fresco
The archangel Gabriel The
archangel Gabriel is in perfect
profile, according to the
fourteenth-century iconographic
tradition.

1452-66
Fresco
The archangel Gabriel brings the announcement to
Mary inside her home: an elegant Roman style
setting, decorated with valuable red and green
marble. Before a closed, wooden door with intarsia
panels, the kneeling archangel brings the divine
message to the Virgin. He is in perfect profile,
according to the fourteenth-century iconographic
tradition.

PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA, Featured Paintings in
Detail (3)
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View of the Cappella Maggiore. Legend of the True Cross- fresco cycle in Arezzo
In the main choir chapel (Cappella Maggiore) of San Francesco, the Franciscan church in Arezzo, Piero della Francesca painted a fresco cycle narrating the stories of the True Cross (the
cross on which Christ was crucified). The subject-matter of the stories illustrated by Piero is drawn from Jacobus de Voragine's "Golden Legend", a 13th century text that recounts the
miraculous story of the wood of Christ's Cross. The story tells how Adam, on his deathbed, sends his son Seth to Archangel Michael, who gives him some seedlings from the tree
original sin to be placed in his father's mouth at the moment of his death. The tree that grows on the patriarch's grave is chopped down by King Solomon and its wood, which could not
be used for anything else, is thrown across a stream to serve as a bridge. The Queen of Sheba, on her journey to see Solomon and hear his words of wisdom, is about to cross the
stream, when by a miracle she learns that the Saviour will be crucified on that wood. She kneels in devout adoration. When Solomon discovers the nature of the divine message received
by the Queen of Sheba, he orders that the bridge be removed and the wood, which will cause the end of the kingdom of the Jews, be buried. But the wood is found and, after a second
premonitory message, becomes the instrument of the Passion.

View of the Cappella Maggiore. Legend of the True Cross- fresco cycle in Arezzo
Three centuries later, just before the battle of Ponte Milvio against Maxentius, Emperor Constantine is told in a dream, that he must fight in the name of the Cross to overcome his enemy. After
Constantine's victory, his mother Helena travels to Jerusalem to recover the miraculous wood. No one knows where the relic of the Cross is, except a Jew called Judas. Judas is tortured in a
well and confesses that he knows the temple where the three crosses of Calvary are hidden. Helena orders that the temple be destroyed; the three crosses are found and the True Cross is
recognized because it causes the miraculous resurrection of a dead youth. In the year 615, the Persian King Chosroes steals the wood, setting it up as an object of worship. The Eastern
Emperor Heraclius wages war on the Persian King and, having defeated him, returns to Jerusalem with the Holy Wood. But a divine power prevents the emperor from making his triumphal
entry into Jerusalem. So Heraclius, setting aside all pomp and magnificence, enters the city carrying the Cross in a gesture of humility, following Jesus Christ's example.

View of the Cappella Maggiore
1452-66
Fresco
Legend of the True Cross (fresco cycle in Arezzo)
1. Death of Adam
2. Procession of the Queen of Sheba; Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon
3. Burial of the Holy Wood
4. Vision of Constantine
5. Constantine's Victory over Maxentius
6. Torture of the Jew
7. Finding and Recognition of the True Cross
8. Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes
9. Exaltation of the Cross
Annunciation

Death of Adam
On the right, the ancient Adam, seated on the ground and surrounded by his children, sends Seth to Archangel Michael. In the background we see the meeting between Seth and Michael,
while on the left, in the shadow of a huge tree, Adam's body is buried in the presence of his family. By placing all three stages of the story within the same background landscape, Piero is
abiding by traditional narrative schemes already used by Masaccio in his fresco of the Tribute Money in the Brancacci Chapel.

Procession of the Queen of Sheba; Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon
Two episodes are shown in the same fresco, separated from each other by the column of the royal palace: the Procession of the
Queen of Sheba (on the left); Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon (on the right). The architectural element (the
column) is the centre of the composition and the vanishing point for the whole fresco. The episode on the left is drawn from the
"Golden Legend", while that in the right is an iconographical element added by Piero.

Exaltation of the Cross
The last episode of the cycle is in the lunette of the east wall. Heraclius wished to bring the cross back to Jerusalem after his victory over the heathen. When he tried to enter the city
through the very gate Christ had used, the stones fell down and blocked his way. An angel then told him that he would have to walk barefoot, carrying the cross in humility, as Christ
did. Heraclius followed the angel's advice, whereupon the stones sprang back into place, the gate was opened, and he was then able to return the cross to its proper place. In Piero's
cycle the scene is presented in a somewhat different version. Heraclius, barefoot, has carried the cross up to the walls of Jerusalem. There he and his train are met by a group of men
who kneel down before the cross in veneration.
The figure of the Emperor is almost entirely illegible now. The Oriental noblemen wear splendid Greek headdresses, the exotic elegance of them had been admired by all Florentines
at the time. Piero's interest in these enormous hats, cylindrical or pyramidal in shape, is dictated by the same motives which had driven Paolo Uccello to concentrate on the complex
armour of contemporary warriors - the study of shapes and perspective.
And the colours of the garments are more lively, too. In the midday light and under the blue sky, they vary from pale blue to violet, from bottle-green to pearl-white. This scene is the
confirmation that Piero wishes to depict an ideal mankind, healthy and strong, with a peaceful expression, characterized by calm, measured gestures. He conveys the impression of a
race of mature men, rationally at peace with themselves.

Annunciation
The subject of this painting has nothing to do with the Golden Legend, this is an addition by Piero, who introduced this scene at the bidding of his patrons. The Annunciation is to
the left in the lower register on the altar wall. It serves to remind us in a general way of the incarnation of Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.
The classical architecture is present once again with the elegant column in the centre. The symmetry of proportions is broken by vanishing point, placed not in the centre but to the
right, behind the Virgin. There is great attention to even the smallest detail, brought out by the reflections of the light. From the transparent veil that covers Mary's head, to the pearls
that decorate her dress, from the wood intarsia on the door, to the shadows that are projected on the white marble surfaces, there are many new elements that will be further
developed in Piero's later works.

Piero della Francesca, an Italian artist, one of the greatest artists of the Early
Renaissance. His painting art is characterized by its serene humanism and its use of
geometric forms, particularly in relation to perspective. He wrote books on solid
geometry and on perspective, and his works reflect these interests. Francesca's solid,
rounded figures are derived from Masaccio, while from Domenico he absorbed a
predilection for delicate colors and scenes bathed in cool, clear daylight. To these
influences he added an innate sense of order and clarity. He conceived of the human
figure as a volume in space, and the outlines of his subjects have the grace,
abstraction, and precision of geometric drawings.
Almost all of Piero's works are religious in nature - primarily altarpieces and church
frescoes in which he presents scenes of astonishing beauty, with silent, stately
figures fixed in clear, crystalline space. There are always large areas of white or near-
white in his works, the skies are big, light and sunny.
The monumental quality of his figures, the perspectival construction of the pictorial
space and the spiritual calm of his compositions led, throughout Italy, to the final
surmounting of the Gothic style and prepared the way for the artistic achievements of
High Renaissance in Italy.

Piero della Francesca Frescoes Detail Adam's Death

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Piero della Francesca Frescoes Detail Adam's Death