The Boi Polyptyc

This polyptych, coming from the chapel of the villa Zanardi at Boi, near Caprino Veronese, depicts the Virgin and Child enthroned with saints James, Anthony the Abbot, John the Evangelist and Christopher, within a frame that is already typical of the flowery Gothic style of the later 14th century. Altichiero, the most celebrated Veronese painter of the century, has been suggested as the author, and certainly the altarpiece displays many of his characteristics, especially in the ornate treatment of the throne – the latticework and lavish detail, the complicated play of perspective. The donor couple, acutely defined in their faces and costumes, reveal a new naturalistic curiosity.