PROVENANCE: Julius Weitzner, New York; BJU, 1963.

This large and colorful altarpiece is an excellent example of High Renaissance art: the design is balanced and symmetrical, the human figures are idealized, and the painting is saturated with brilliant color.

The subject of the painting—Christ handing the keys of the heavenly kingdom to Mary, who in turn gives them to a kneeling Francis—is unprecedented in Italian art. In most paintings, Peter the Apostle receives the keys. The city or church that originally commissioned this work most likely chose the unusual subject to honor a local tradition reflecting the erroneous belief that Mary is a co-redeemer with Christ.