Angel (Right Hand)
- Artist: Francesco Pesellino
- Date: 1455-60
- Medium: egg tempera on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Angel (Right Hand)" by Francesco Pesellino. Painted in the Italian north, this altarpiece fragment shows one of two angels hovering around the Trinity - God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Ghost as a dove. The angel on the right is more damaged than its opposite counterpart, with visible joins where parts were stuck together and a pink robe that's faded dramatically. Look closely, you can see parts of the flying blue ribbons have been repainted.
Notice how much underdrawing is now visible in the pink drapery - this was painted around 1455-60 using egg tempera on wood. The style here suggests Pesellino moving away from the more classical influences he inherited towards a more dynamic way of depicting figures, and experimenting with how bodies move through space.
He was working on this altarpiece when he died, leaving it half finished. Another artist, Fra Filippo Lippi, took over but we can still see where Pesellino's hand left off - the angel on the right is a prime example.
See it in person
Angel (Right Hand) hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
