Piety, Polyptych of Sant’Agostino – Abbey of San Pietro – Perugia

The panel was originally conceived as cymatium for the large two-sided polyptych for the church of Sant’Agostino in Perugia. The historian Serafino Siepi reports that in 1816 the work was purchased by the Cassinensi monks of San Pietro from the Augustinian friars, to replace the Conception of the Virgin Mary by Giovan Battista Salvi called “Sassoferrato” which had been transferred to Rome in 1813. The scene recalls a theme of northern origin that Perugino depicted in other works as well, such as the one now held at the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Florence. According to critics, who over the centuries has expressed positive opinions about the quality level of the work, the cymatium probably dates back to the advanced phase of Perugino, 1512 – 1515, since a pale and delicate color range prevails.