Renaissance Italy was teeming with artists, including those that would go on to achieve legendary status in the decades and centuries to come. Among these were father and son, Fra’ Filippo (1406-1469) and Filippino Lippi (1457-1504), who went on to become two of the most influential and celebrated artists of the 15th century. Their incredible art, as well as the unlikelihood of two massive talents being so closely related, are the subject of a new exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
Here, you can see many of their most wonderful and iconic artworks, including Filippo’s Madonna Trivulzio, which is on loan from Castello Sforzesco in Milan, and the Madonna with angels, on loan from the Cini Collection in Venice. These are complemented by rarely-exhibited panels from the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, among many other pieces. Together, these artwork show how Filippo acquired and revolutionised three-dimensionality in art.
Over and above this, there are also numerous documents belonging to Filippo, including letters he sent to Cosimo de’ Medici and the King of Naples, as well as a document that describes his abduction of 17-year-old Lucrezia Buti from a convent, which led to the birth of their son, Filippino.
The son, who went on to become as sought-after as his father, is also a main part of this exhibition, with his two-panel Annunciation being brought in from the Musei Civici in San Gimignano. This piece, considered to be among the best of the era, shows the artist’s understanding of geometry, interiors, and perspective.
Other Filippino pieces on show include a drawing he did for his fresco at the Santa Maria sopra Minerva church in Rome, a piece of work whose composition was considered to be very avant-garde for the time.
Running until Tuesday, August 25, 2024, Filippo e Filippino Lippi is open every day between 9.30am and 7.30pm CEST. Tickets cost €18.50 for adults, giving you access to both the exhibition and the rest of the Musei Capitolini. There are numerous other concession prices available, though, so do check the official site.
