Prato, the city acquires a 14th-century treasure: the triptych by the Master of Mezzana

Important return for the city of Prato: the Madonna Enthroned with Child between Saints Louis of Toulouse and Francis, a precious triptych by the Master of Mezzana, active in Prato between 1320 and 1340, finally returns to the Tuscan city after centuries of absence. This exquisite portable altarpiece, extraordinarily well preserved and loaded with historical and artistic significance, was purchased by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Prato and donated to the city. Curiously, the work had returned to the market thanks to a Prato resident, antiquarian Flavio Gianassi, owner of FG Fine Art Ltd, who in September exhibited the triptych at the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato in Florence.

The work will now become part of the permanent collection of the Civic Museum of Palazzo Pretorio, where it will be on public view. The official presentation was held today in the presence of Foundation President Diana Toccafondi, Prato Mayor Ilaria Bugetti, art historian Lia Brunori and antiquarian Flavio Gianassi, who handled the sale of the work.

The triptych, datable to the 1420s, represents not only an important testimony of post-Giottesque painting, but also a document of great historical value. It is in fact linked to the cultural and political context of Prato during the Angevin seigniory, a crucial period for the city, which in those years enjoyed autonomy from Florence.

A work with a dual soul: art and history

The altarpiece is a fine gold background, probably designed for private devotion. When opened, it measures 39.1 by 48.9 cm and has a three-panel structure. The central panel features the Madonna Enthroned with Child, flanked by Saints Louis of Toulouse and Francis, while the side panels depict sacred scenes: the Crucifixion with the Angel of the Annunciation on the left and Our Lady of Mercy with the Virgin Annunciate on the right.

Lia Brunori, an art historian who spoke at the presentation, explained the iconographic and historical importance of the work. “More than likely the city commission, ascribable to a prominent personality belonging to local institutions certainly linked to the Franciscans, to whom the figures of St. Francis and St. Louis of Toulouse placed around the enthroned Madonna refer, but perhaps a reference to the Spedale della Misericordia, whose Marian icon stands out in plain sight in the right-hand flap, can also be read there,” the scholar explained. “The characters depicted under the Madonna’s mantle, with unexpected freshness and miniaturist liveliness, look like small portraits, among whom one may perhaps recognize the mustachioed Charles D’Anjou, Duke of Calabria and Lord of Florence from December 1326 to 1327, when he extended his lordship also to Prato, which was so closely linked in several stages to the Angevins.”

Among the small portraits painted with extraordinary vividness, perhaps the mustachioed Charles of Anjou, Duke of Calabria and Lord of Florence between 1326 and 1327, when he extended his lordship over Prato, emerges. Equally fascinating is the figure of a kneeling woman in the foreground, identified by Brunori as Mary of Valois, wife of Charles, known for her connection to the Prato cult of the Sacred Girdle. The triptych is also enhanced by original inscriptions on the back, presumably made by the artist himself, identifying the subjects depicted.

The mysterious Master of Mezzana and his style

The Master of Mezzana, so named by renowned scholar Richard Offner in 1956, is a central figure in fourteenth-century painting in Prato. The artist’s name comes from two panels from a triptych in the church of San Pietro a Mezzana, now preserved in the Diocesan Museum, which reveal his affinity with post-Giottesque Florentine painting.

His presence in Prato is documented not only by movable works such as the newly acquired triptych, but also by frescoes, such as those in the Palazzo Comunale. His works, marked by a refined attention to detail and an innovative use of color, place him among the leading exponents of the art of his time.

A distinguished collecting history

The triptych has a long and fascinating collecting history that testifies to its high artistic value. Around 1950 it was in the hands of Ettore Sestieri, a well-known Italian antiquarian, and later passed into the collection of Florentine merchant Carlo De Carlo. From there, the work came to the United States, becoming part of the Alana collection, one of the most important private collections in the world.

In 2024, as anticipated, the work was exhibited at the Florence Biennale Internazionale d’Arte at the booth of FG Fine Art Ltd, where it was purchased by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Prato. This move marks the triptych’s return from the private dimension to public enjoyment, a gesture that underscores the Foundation’s commitment to enhancing Prato’s cultural heritage.

A significant return for the city

The entry of the triptych into the collection of the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio represents a unique opportunity for citizens and visitors to rediscover a work that, in addition to bearing witness to the artistic excellence of medieval Prato, tells an important page of its history.

“We are in front of an emblematic work that in its singular originality, more than others, tells of our past and that it is right to make available to everyone,” says President Diana Toccafondi. “Sharing knowledge and enjoying cultural heritage helps to make our community more cohesive, which is why we have chosen to consign the triptych to public enjoyment by donating it to the Civic Museum. In a way, it is our Christmas gift to the city. The return of this work to Prato not only enriches our cultural heritage but has a high symbolic value: it is a sign of hope and confidence in the future, despite all the difficulties.”

“This is the real Prato, united, altruistic and concrete,” says Mayor Ilaria Bugetti. “With this donation, the Foundation has perfectly embodied the spirit that each of us-public body, association or individual citizen-must have to improve the city. It is a great gesture that returns to the city’s public cultural heritage a beautiful and also very significant work. On behalf of the whole community, thank you to President Diana Toccafondi for this extraordinary gift. It is a beautiful Christmas gift.”

“As a citizen of Prato, I am very proud of the attention this work has received from the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Prato; thanks to their efforts, it is finally possible to return one of our city’s oldest treasures to the public,” says Flavio Gianassi. “As an art dealer, the satisfaction is even greater in being able to collaborate with local institutions to bring this work back to its ideal location, where it can be appreciated by future generations. This is a concrete example of how synergy between the private and public sectors can really make a difference in preserving and promoting our artistic heritage.”

Prato, the city acquires a 14th-century treasure: the triptych by the Master of Mezzana

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