Diocesan museum of Ascoli Piceno, Italy

The Diocesan Museum in the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno is located in one wing of the ecclesiastical palazzo, which also contains the city's pinacoteca and the state archeological museum.

Created with the aim of reuniting and preserving as much of the artistic patrimony of the diocese of Ascoli-Piceno as possible, the museum was opened in 1961 by bishop Marcello Morgante. The space consists of seven areas that house wooden and stone sculpture, paintings on canvas and wood, silver and sacred vestments made by the minor schools of the city that had a notable growth in the 1400s. There is also notable Florentine art of the 16th century. Many of the objects come directly from the city of Ascoli, while others were recovered from elsewhere in the diocesan territory. As a whole, the collection includes works from the 13th century to the present day.

This statue was made in 1482, the year that Pope Sixtus IV granted «libertas ecclesiastica» to the city of Ascoli. On the octagonal base of the statue is written: «Ex quo libertas porta est asculea cumque iustitia rutilans ensis in urbe sumptibus hoc sacre residentum atque ere catedre Petri et Francisci celte refulget opus». The inscription contains the names of both Peter (which refers to Peter Vannini) and Francis (which refers to Francis di Paolino of Offida), but most likely the sole artist of the work is the former.

The statue is 152 cm in height and made with embossed silver. The statue shows the patron saint of Ascoli in his pontifical garb giving a blessing with his right hand, while in his left hand he holds his crosier. Added in the 17th century, well after the statue's creation, the crosier was donated by Cardinal Bernerio as indicated by the coat of arms depicted at the end of the handle.

The work, wrote Luigi Serra, is considered to be one of the best of the 15th century for its "vivacious expression in both his face and gesture". The folds in the cloth of his garments are particularly well-done; on the front of the mitre are incised six oval forms showing images of the four saints of Ascoli. The edges of the stole and cope are richly woven in relief, and the work of the hood is decorated with floral motifs. The round clip of the cope, centred inside a starred perimeter, has an engraving indicating the moment in which Pope Marcello I consecrated the saint as a bishop. This statue, along with the arm-reliquary and the beheading stone (preserved in the little shrine of Sant'Emidio Rosso), are among the icons most venerated by the faithful of the city of Ascoli.

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