This remarkable altar-piece has been painted by Giovanni Battista di Jacopo, commonly known as "Rosso" Fiorentino because of his red hair. Fiorentino was a a leading mannerist painter active in Florence around the early sixteenth century. He is known for expressive stylisation in his pieces. This oil painting on wood panel depicts enthroned Madonna with baby Jesus along with four saints an two angels sat at the stairs, immersed in a holy scripture. Originally commissioned by Leonardo Buonafede for the Ognissanti Church, this piece was later hosted at the church of Santo Stefano in Grezzano. This was due to the dissatisfaction experienced by its patron on the designed result of this piece. The originally decided design of this painting included the Virgin and Child along with the saints John the Baptist, Leonard, Benedict, and Jerome. Fiorentino had painted this piece with a mannerist fashion which included figurative stylisation and an anti-classical representation of the subject matter. This was a step away from the harmonious and balanced depictions of the Renaissance. Due to this reason Buonafede alleged that the saints looked devilish, cruel, and evil; thus refusing to pay the designated compensation for this piece to Fiorentino; the latter took the former to the court over the matter. Over this dispute and due to the change of the location for this altar-piece, Fiorentino later changed the saints Leonard and Benedict into saint Stephen and Anthony respectively. This also brought changes in the portrayal of these figures and their iconography, while the style remained expressive. The overall palette of this painting includes bright colors of both warm and cool nature. The artist has used chiaroscuro to enhance the sense of visual spatiality along with numerous layers of glaze in order to depict the suppleness of human-flesh. In the scene, we can see Mary and infant Jesus in the centre with golden halos over their heads as the four saints surround them. The latter's gestures indicate as if they are conversing with Mary while infant Jesus gazes down with his arm outstretched. The two angels sit at the feet of these five figures and are seemingly engrossed in a scripture, completely ignorant of whatever conversation is taking place behind them. Fiorentino, with this piece had successfully demonstrated his artistic prowess at the handling of colors, narratives, and the subject matter; evident from the major changes he made to the original design.
Looking at the painting, what stands out most is how human and unsettling the saints feel in the painting especially Jerome who seems gaunt and grasping, and John the Baptist with his sharp, angular gestures. They don't feel serene like typical Renaissance saints, instead they feel restless, almost anxious. I think this represents a break from painting religion as calm and perfect, and instead showing it as raw and emotionally intense. The saints seem to be caught mid conversation, almost arguing rather than peacefully witnessing, while the two angels below are the only calm figures, quietly absorbed in reading, ignoring the tension above.Here faith isn't always shown as gentle here, Rosso seems more interested in showing real, flawed humanity around the divine than idealised holiness, which is likely exactly why it felt so "devilish" to its original patron.
