J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM TO PRESENT BEFFI TRIPTYCH

DAVID BOMFORD, ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, ANNOUNCED THE INSTALLATION OF THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND THE VIRGIN (THE BEFFI TRIPTYCH) IN THE GETTY MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERIES OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS. THE PAINTING IS THE FIRST WORK OF ART TO BE TRANSPORTED OUT OF ABRUZZO, ITALY, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE THAT STRUCK THE REGION 6.APRIL.2009. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ABRUZZO IN THE CITY OF L'AQUILA, THE TRIPTYCH IS ON LOAN TO THE GETTY FROM THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT AND WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH SEPTEMBER IN THE MUSEUM'S NORTH PAVILION, ALONGSIDE OTHER PAINTINGS FROM ITALY THAT WERE CREATED AROUND THE SAME TIME PERIOD (EARLY TO MID-15th CENTURY). PAINTED BY AN UNKNOWN ARTIST, THE BEFFI TRIPTYCH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LATE GOTHIC PERIOD IN ABRUZZO AND EMBODIES ALL THE QUALITIES OF FIGURATIVE PAINTING FROM THE REGION DURING THE 15th CENTURY. NAMED FOR THE NEARBY TOWN OF BEFFI, WHERE IT ONCE ADORNED THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DEL PONTE, THE TRIPTYCH DEPICTS SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY, WHO APPEARS IN THE CENTRAL PANEL, ENTHRONED WITH THE CHRIST CHILD BENEATH AN ELEGANTLY BROCADED CANOPY. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE PAINTER MAY HAVE BEEN A FOLLOWER OF THE SIENESE ARTIST TADDEO DI BARTOLO. IN ADDITION TO THE PANEL PAINTINGS, THIS ANONYMOUS PAINTER ALSO ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS AND CREATED FRESCOES. EXPERTS IDENTIFY HIM AS THE PAINTER WHO FRESCOED THE VAULT AND WALLS OF THE PRESBYTERY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN SILVERSTRO IN L'AQUILA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 15th CENTURY. THE BEFFI TRIPTYCH, UNLIKE MANY OTHER WORKS OF ART IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ABRUZZO, HAS NOW BEEN REPAIRED AFTER SUFFERING ONLY MINIMAL DAMAGE IN THE EARTHQUAKE.