Pair of Panels from a Triptych: The Archangel Michael and St. Anthony Abbot1458 · Study 1964.150

Context from the museum

These panels depicting Saints Anthony the Abbot and Michael originally flanked a central scene of the Madonna and Child with Angels, now lost, to form a triptych. Giovanni di Cosimo de’ Medici of Florence commissioned the ensemble in 1457 as a diplomatic gift to Alfonso V of Aragon. Fra Filippo Lippi, a Carmelite friar and one of the great masters of early Renaissance Florence, depicted realistic, weighty figures in a three-dimensional space using a system of linear perspective, inspired partly by Masaccio’s Brancacci Chapel, and reflected in the background architecture. Saint Anthony the Abbot rejected all earthly possessions in pursuit of a contemplative life in the desert. He is generally regarded as the founder of monasticism and is depicted wearing a monk’s habit. Saint Michael’s sword, shield, and exquisitely bejeweled armor celebrate his role as heaven’s defender against evil.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Saint Michael's opulent appearance reflects the wealth and status of both the patron and the recipient of these paintings.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Pair of Panels from a Triptych: The Archangel Michael and St. Anthony Abbot is 29.8 cm wide and 81.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 11.7 × 32.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.37:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.24 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 9.9% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 135.1 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Pair of Panels from a Triptych: The Archangel Michael and St. Anthony Abbot in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, tempera on wood panel, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 29.8 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?