ORATORY OF ST. GEORGE, PADUA

(1377)

In the 1370s,Altichierohad worked in the Church of San Antonio in Padua, paintingfrescoesin the St. James Chapel for Bonifazio Lupi, from a family ofcondottieriwho served the Carrara, the city's rulers. These were such a major success that Raimondino Lupi, Bonifazio's relative, asked the artist to work for him in the Oratory ofSt.George, his funerary chapel. Of the scenes Altichiero executed,St.George Baptizing King Servius, theMartyrdom of St.George, and theExecution of St.Georgestand out. In the first, elaborate architecture serves as the backdrop for the baptism of the Libyan King Servius, his family, and members of his court agreed upon after the saint saved Servius' daughter from the dragon. The event takes place in the center of the composition, with the royal family kneeling and courtiers witnessing along the buildings' arcades. Their demeanor and facial expressions elucidate the solemnity of the moment depicted. In theMartyrdom of St.George, the saint is shown in the center stretched on a wheel, one of the many tortures from which he was delivered. In the saint's legend it is specified that, between torments, George converted others to Christianity. On theloggeat either side of the massive building that serves as backdrop, he is shown engaged in this activity. His final martyrdom by decapitation is depicted in theExecution of St.Georgewhere, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, the executioner prepares to carry out the saint's beheading. To add to the horror, a man removes his child to prevent him from witnessing the gruesome event. The frescoes in the Oratory of St. George show Altichiero's dependence on the naturalism introduced byGiottowhose frescoes in theArena Chapel, Padua (1305), were readily available for study. Altichiero's figures are as massive and solid as those of theFlorentinemaster, though the individualized features, complex architecture, believable depth, and sense of movement are his own elaborations.