Altarpiece of Pellegrino II

The altarpiece of Pellegrino II is a medieval altarpiece in the cathedral of Cividale, Italy. The silver relief was endowed by Pellegrino II, the patriarch of Aquileia, around 1200 and adorns today the main altar of the church Santa Maria Assunta. It shows Mary and the Child Jesus surrounded by archangels and groups of saints. The piece is notable for its rich ornamentation and its early typographic inscription.

The altarpiece is located in the cathedral Santa Maria Assunta in the town of Cividale in Friuli. The rectangular relief plate which measures about one meter high and two meters wide is made of partly gilded silver. Protected by a modern glass case, it towers above the principal altar in the choir. It was consecrated by Pellegrino II who was patriarch of Aquileia between 1195 and 1204.

The altarpiece is divided into four parts: the center consists of a triptych which shows Mary as the Mother of God (Latin mater dei) with the Child Jesus in her lap. From left and right the archangels Michael and Gabriel rush to the seated mother and her child. The whole scene takes place under a three-arched arcade. The triptych is flanked by two departments which display, in three horizontal lines each, a total of 25 male and female saints standing next to one other. All figures except the Child Jesus are identifiable by name. A frame displaying a series of head medallions without inscriptions runs all around the triptych and the two lateral sections. In the upper horizontal frame piece Christ and John the Baptist as well as the four Evangelists are depicted. In its lower counterpart Pellegrino II, kneeling at the feet of Mary, can be identified by an accompanying inscription as the donator of the altarpiece. On the inside of the two frame boards a votive inscription composed of ten Leonine verses runs horizontally across the altarpiece.

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