Ryan Carter, Class of 2025, College of the Holy Cross



This painting evokes the medieval world not just through its religious theme but through the style and medium of painting as well. Although this painting was made during the onset of the Renaissance, it did not reflect the style made famous by the Renaissance. The painting itself is a scene packed with activity that focuses on conveying a narrative rather than spatial logic.

The vibrant colors are a result of the egg tempera method of painting, which involves mixing the yolk of an egg with bright pigment. During the Renaissance period the popularity of oil painting was rising, and tempera painting was becoming obsolete. In the case of the WAM's painting, Nelli chose to work in the long-established tempera painting technique rather than in the newly-developed technique of oil painting. Egg tempera painting was originally developed in ancient Egypt and eventually spread to the Greeks, Romans and throughout all of Europe.
The busy International Gothic style that Nelli was so fond of was also declining in popularity. Both in the case of the Worcester Art Museum's panel painting, and when commissioned by a powerful family to adorn their palace chapel, Nelli chose the more old-fashioned International Gothic Style. The International Gothic Style had originated in France and rapidly spread throughout Western Europe.

While Nelli’s painting at first attracts the eye of a viewer for its courtly and religious subject, it should encourage viewers to also think about how the style and technique used to craft paintings also created connections -- and disconnections -- around the medieval globe.