The CR Foligno Foundation acquires a valuable triptych by Giovanni di Corraduccio from 1415

Important acquisition for the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Foligno, which secured a remarkable triptych by Giovanni di Corraduccio (Foligno, news 1404 to 1437). The work, a Virgin Enthroned with Child and Saints and scenes from the lives of the Virgin and St. Clare, was purchased during Sotheby’s evening auction on July 3, 2024. The work started from an estimate of 200-300 thousand pounds (236-354 thousand euros) and was sold for the sum of 348 thousand pounds (411 thousand euros). This significant purchase represents another step forward in the Foundation’s commitment to the recovery, protection, and enhancement of local historical and artistic heritage, and reaffirms its role as the guardian of the area’s cultural roots.

The Foundation announced that a conference will be organized soon to present the triptych. The event will be attended by authoritative scholars and representatives of regional and local institutions. During the conference, the public will have the opportunity to admire the work and appreciate its beauty through the art-historical content illustrated by the qualified speakers. Afterwards, the Palazzo Cattani institution will organize an exhibition dedicated to the triptych by Giovanni di Corraduccio. The exhibition will be open to the public, and all citizens and art lovers will be invited to participate, thus sharing in this extraordinary acquisition.

The triptych, recently dated by Andrea De Marchi to around 1415, represents a rare example of the art of Giovanni di Corraduccio, also known as Mazzaforte. Active between 1404 and 1437, Giovanni di Corraduccio was the leading painter in Foligno in the early 15th century. Influenced by the painting of Orvieto and Siena, his work shows neo-Gothic tendencies and connections with the culture of Le Marche.

The work has not been seen on the market for more than half a century; moreover, it is one of the very few paintings by Giovanni di Corraduccio to be found outside Italy and his native Umbria, as much of his output is in fresco and still remains in situ. Recent studies place the triptych at the center of women’s monastic spirituality in Trevi, an Umbrian town located between Foligno and Spoleto. Indeed, holy women here occupy a prominent role. In the central compartment we see the Virgin and Child enthroned with the saints Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch at her side in a privileged position; behind them we see Onofrio, the hermit saint, perhaps James the Greater, Francis of Assisi and Ludovico of Toulouse, while in the upper roundels we see Peter and Paul. In the side compartments we see on the left, at the bottom, St. Michael the Archangel and St. Anthony Abbot, while on the right, also at the bottom, the Annunciation; and in the upper register, in the left compartment the Dormitio Virginis and in the right compartment the Death of St. Clare, while in the middle compartment we see a Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John.

The peculiarity of Giovanni di Corraduccio’s polyptychs is that they show narrative scenes all organized around a central scene. Particularly touching here is the way the painter conveys the affection shown by the nuns toward St. Clare on her deathbed. The form and iconography of the triptych link it to a small group of other polyptychs by Giovanni di Corraduccio commissioned by convents in the area.

Federico Zeri was the first to publish the triptych in 1963 as the work of Giovanni di Corraduccio, an attribution later supported by scholars such as Pietro Scarpellini and Miklós Boskovits. Filippo Todini confirmed the attribution in his survey of Umbrian painting published in 1989. More recently, Andrea De Marchi has proposed a date around 1415, suggesting that the altarpiece was the second in a sequence of three works commissioned by the monasteries of Trevi.

This remarkable triptych is not only a significant example of the work of Giovanni di Corraduccio, but also a valuable piece of the rich history of Umbrian painting in the broader context of the artistic landscape of the period. With this acquisition, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Foligno continues to support and promote the artistic and cultural heritage of the area.

“We are very happy,” says Monica Sassi, president of the Foundation, “with this purchase, which we consider a fundamental moment, within our mandate, of our and the Foundation’s commitment and sensitivity in the artistic sphere. A moment that consolidates the Foundation’s 30-year role as a strategic player in the growth process of a community. I want to thank the entire Board of Directors, which has believed in such a cultural operation from the very beginning, demonstrating great competence, prospective capacity and solid determination in pursuing this result; the entire board, consisting of directors Donatella Barbabianca Filippi, Rosa Bisogni, Emanuele De Donno and Vice President prof. Paolo Verducci, in fact wanted to follow with absolute interest this opportunity (pointed out to us by the National Gallery of Umbria, whom I thank) and only our will allowed us to prevail over the various art market players who intervened in the auction. In this last regard, I would like to thank our Secretary General, Dr. Cristiano Antonietti, who handled the entire negotiation and intervened in the auction with competence and effectiveness. I would also like to mention that with this intervention the Foundation, in addition to putting in place a logical diversification of investment of its financial assets, integrated a whole series of objectives that testify to that degree of social responsibility of the Foundation in carrying out its mission: To preserve and enhance cultural heritage by strengthening the cultural identity of the community; to promote the attractiveness of the area as a cultural destination through its artistic heritage; to make works of art increasingly accessible to the public, fostering artistic and cultural education; to contribute to the development and growth of the local and national art scene; and finally to be able to recognize the economic value of works of art, which can grow over time.”

Image: Giovanni di Corraduccio, Virgin Enthroned with Child and Saints and Scenes from the Life of the Virgin and Saint Clare (1415; tempera and gold on panel, 126 x 159.5 cm; Foligno, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Foligno)

The CR Foligno Foundation acquires a valuable triptych by Giovanni di Corraduccio from 1415

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