Abstract
Hugo van der Goes's Portinari Altarpiece, datable to the mid-1470s, has been the subject of substantial iconographic study, but has rarely been considered in relation to its installation in the choir of S. Egidio, the chapel of the great Florentine hospital of S. Maria Nuova. This article explores the presence of an unrecognized theme in the triptych, Mary's miraculous and painless delivery of Jesus, and the ways in which this would have acted as a metaphor of healing and salvation for hospital patients. Moreover, this theme can be linked to the particular circumstances of the donor family, the Portinari.
Published Version
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