Description
In the fresco fragment known as Christ Blessing among Angels, Simone Martini presents the Saviour frontally, with one hand raised in blessing and the other holding an orb. Two angels lean toward him on either side, adjusting their bodies to the triangular shape of the tympanum. The refined drawing of faces and the relationship among the three figures retain something of the elegance of Sienese painting, even though extensive wear has diminished the original colours and details. The image was intended to be seen high above a religious entrance, where it proclaimed Christ’s authority and protection.
The fresco was painted around 1340–1341 for the porch of Notre-Dame-des-Doms Cathedral in Avignon, in conjunction with the Virgin of Humility in the lower lunette. The detached fragments and preparatory drawings are now preserved at the Palace of the Popes. This work belongs to Simone Martini’s final artistic phase and forms part of the decorative programme associated with Cardinal Jacopo Caetani degli Stefaneschi.
