From Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation” to Michelangelo’s “David,” Florence has so many outstanding works of art that one can easily miss some of the Tuscan capital’s lesser known gems. Fra’ Angelico’s “Silver Cabinet” is one such overlooked masterpiece. Currently preserved inside the museum of St. Mark in Florence, the “Armadio degli Argenti” is considered one of the most original artworks of Christian art.
According to 1448 records, Piero de’ Medici, son of Cosimo, ruler of Florence, entrusted Fra Angelico to decorate the doors of a silver treasury created to preserve and display the ex-votos gifted by devoted worshipers to the church of Santissima Annunziata, home of the only religious order started in Florence, the Servite Order or Oder of the Serves of Mary.
Fra’ Angelico, a Dominican friar and Early Renaissance painter described by art historian Giorgio Vasari as having “a rare and perfect talent,” decided to decorate the cabinet with 40 panel paintings, of which 35 have survived to our days. The panels, completed between 1451 to 1453, form one of the most narratively-rich artworks of the Renaissance. They represent different scenes from the life of Christ as well as allegorical scenes representing Christian doctrine. The first and last panel are the most symbolically rich of the series.
The first one depicts the vision of Ezekiel, one of the most vivid episodes in the Bible, from Chapter 1 of the Book of Ezekiel, where the ancient prophet sees four living creatures, each revealing a “wheel within a wheel.” Fra Angelico chose to represent the “wheel within a wheel” by showing two concentric circles, each representing key figures from the Old and New Testament.
As explained by art historian Gerardo de Simone, Fra’ Angelico opted for this concentric structure to symbolize the fact that the New Testament is a natural development of the Old Testament. The two figures at the bottom of the concentric circles, Ezekiel and St. Gregory the Great, one of the four Latin fathers of the Church, are depicted against a forest, a metaphor for the holy scriptures that, like a forest, need to be navigated and interpreted in the right way to truly capture God’s message. Impressive details, such as ancient biblical texts arranged in the shape of the seven-branched Jewish candelabra, reveal Angelico’s fine artistic skill. The Dominican friar opted for visually striking solutions to allow viewers to engage with a sort of “illustrated Bible” that could make biblical messages available to a largely unliterate audience
The last panel, titled “Lex Amoris,” depicts a female subject, symbolizing the Church, holding a shield that says “Lex Amoris,” referring to the “law of love” introduced by Christ. As de Simone explains, this refers to the fact that Christ brings over a new type of faith, based on love, that is an evolution from the fear-based faith of the Old Testament. Banners held by key figures of the Church display various core beliefs of Christianity such as the Nicene Creed.
Of the panels depicting the life of Christ, the one depicting the “Annunciation” further establishes one of the key messages of the painting, the continuity between the Old and the New Testament, by displaying on the bottom of the panel, a passage from the New Testament related to the Annunciation, and, on the top of the panel, a passage from the Old Testament that predicts figuratively the Annunciation.
The panel describing the Last Judgment is the largest one of the series, and, as de Simone notes, it stands out for its dramatic scenes, such as an angel violently rejecting a damned soul trying to ask for redemption whose anguished expression is reminiscent of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel.
“This is one of the last masterpieces left behind by Fra’ Angelico before his death,” de Simone says, referring to the passing of Fra Angelico in 1455, “it is the work of a man that during its time was considered the greatest living artist in Italy.”
Florence’s Museum of St. Mark is open every day except Sunday and Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 1.50 p.m, The “Silver Cabinet” is hosted inside Fra’ Angelico’s room.
