Image: Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Art Museum is devoting its October Object of the Month sessions to The Coronation of the Virgin, a panel by the Catalan painter Pere Lembrí that the museum counts among the newest acquisitions in its European art collection.
Master docent Karen Kahler leads the half-hour presentations, held at 11:30 am on October 1, 3, 15, 22 and 29. Each session centres on this single work.
The painting dates from the 1400s and is set on a gold ground, which the museum describes as rare. Its authorship is a relatively recent finding: according to the museum, the panel was only attributed to Lembrí in 2004.
The work was once part of a monumental altarpiece. The surviving panel shows angels and saints against celestial gold leaf, and the museum notes that it is now among the oldest works in its collection.
