The masterpiece of Prato

The greatness of his art received immediate acclaim, even from two of the greatest geniuses of the late Renaissance, Leonardo and Michelangelo, though for different reasonsFilippino, divenuto poi anch'esso pittore.
The former applauded his perception of the environment, his psychological sensitivity in rendering the characters and his refined pictorial technique, while the latter appreciated the vigor and vitality of his figures, the imposing, heroic proportions as in the frescoes for the Cathedral of Prato. It was, indeed, the call to decorate the main chapel of the Cathedral that first brought Lippi to Prato, where he lived and worked from 1452 to 1465.
This became the busiest, most fertile period of original artistic growth in our city, thanks to the stable presence of Fra’ Filippo and his collaborators who, in addition to decorating the Cathedral, produced many other paintings for charitable organizations, churches and monasteries in the city.  back >