Adoration of the Magi, Baptism of Christ, Resurrection – Musée des Beaux-Arts – Rouen
The three panels were part of the predella of the Polyptych of San Pietro, and according to the reconstruction were originally interspersed with the figures of the two patrons of the city of Perugia, Sant’Ercolano and San Costanzo (currently preserved in the church of San Pietro).
Placed just below the central altarpiece, depicting the glorious Ascension of Christ, these panels summarized some of the most important episodes of his life, fromhis birth to the Resurrection.
All the figures recall the dictates of classicism combined with calm sweetness, typical of Perugino’s contemporary production; the poses are plastic and monumental thanks to the strong, bright-colored draperies of the character’s dresses.
In every scene, a gently foreshortened hilly landscapes is on the background. The compositions were particularly appreciated by Vasari, who judged the predella of the Polyptych as the best works ever realized by Perugino.
The three panels are currently preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen. The polyptych had already been dismembered during the sixteenth century because of the radical restructuring of the choir of the Church of San Pietro and for which it was also necessary to dismantle the altar; moreover, some parts were transported to France in 1797 during the French requisitions and never returned to Italy.
