Annalena Altarpiece
by ANGELICO, Fra, Tempera and gold on panel, 200 x 235 cm
Although the original location of this altarpiece is the Convento di San Vincenzo d’Annalena, it seems to have been painted for the double chapel of the Medici family, dedicated to Sts Cosmas and Damian and located on the south transept of San Lorenzo, Florence. In the mid-1430s, San Lorenzo was still under construction. The represented saints on the altarpiece are the patron saints of the male members of the Medici dynasty, and the predella (executed by Zanobi Strozzi) contains scenes from the life of Sts Cosmas and Damian.