BORGO SAN LORENZO (pieve di San Lorenzo) – This table painting is one of the most relevant masterpieces preserved within the pieve in Borgo S. Lorenzo. It represents the main figure, stationary and languidly in a slightly spiral motion, accompanied by an old bearded saint, lined with a white monastic sail, traditionally identified with San Macario but who could instead be identified with Romualdo from Camaldoli, with a stick in one hand and a book (perhaps the rule?) in the other. On the opposite side stands the sweet and melancholic figure of St. Vincent Ferrer, of Spanish origin, in the act of pointing at the figure of the Christ. In the background stands a beautiful Nordic landscape. The painting is attributed to the artist Francesco Ubertini from Borgo S. Lorenzo, known as the “Bachiacca”, and is a refined example of Mannerist type of painting of the early sixteenth century, dating precisely to the years 1515-1518. The plasticity of the figures, reminiscent of Michelangelo’s sculptures, the abstract and lucid definition of shapes and expressions, the bright colours, the sharp definition of the Nordic landscape (probably a sign of Flemish and German influences) make this painting an intriguing and remarkable painting. This is completed by the refined lunette standing above, depicting two angels in flight supporting the so called crown of martyrdom. According to a recent hypothesis, the bezel and the square structure originally had to be a single table, which was only later subdivided into two parts, on which occasion, the beautiful square frame with elegant gilding was possibly manufactured.
© Il Filo – Idee e Notizie dal Mugello
