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Paradise

1445
Not on view
The blessed embrace angels and one another in this tapestry-like garden of Paradise, interwoven with animals, fruit trees, and giant flowers. Along with the Creation and Expulsion from Paradise, also at The Met (Robert Lehman Collection), this scene formed part of the base, or predella, of an altarpiece for the church of San Domenico, Siena. The two panels rank among the Sienese artist’s finest works. Giovanni di Paolo was inspired by paintings he saw in Florence by Fra Angelico. Nevertheless, he prioritized creating a graceful compositional rhythm over the perspectival or spatial naturalism favored by Florentine art in order to intensify the scene’s visionary effect.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Paradise
  • Artist: Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
  • Date: 1445
  • Medium: Tempera and gold on canvas, transferred from wood
  • Dimensions: 18 7/16 × 16 1/16 in. (46.8 × 40.8 cm); painted surface 17 1/2 x 15 1/8 in. (44.5 x 38.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
  • Object Number: 06.1046
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
1445
Madonna and Child with Two Angels and a Donor
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
ca. 1445
Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Barbara, Agatha, and Margaret
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
ca. 1470
Madonna and Child with Saints
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
1454
The Adoration of the Magi
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
ca. 1460

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