Triptych, tempera on wood, of The Ascension of Saint John the Evangelist with Saints painted c 1410-20 by Giovanni del Ponte, probably the high altarpiece of the Camaldolese nuns' church of S Giovanni Evangelista at Pratovecchio. Christ is shown in the central panel with Old Testament figures raising up John the Evangelist to heaven. The saints on the wings are identified by the inscriptions: on the left Bernard (S. BER[NARDUS]), Scolastica, Benedict, and John the Baptist, on the right Peter, Romuald of Camaldoli with book (S.RVMV), Catherine of Alexandria, and Jerome with the cardinal's hat. On the left pilaster, top to bottom, are a male saint with a staff and a book inscribed, Cosmas, Francis, and Apollonia, on the right pilaster, Nicholas of Bari, Damian, Margaret, and Viridiana. The predella shows three scenes from the life of St John the Evangelist. Bernard is nimbed, bearded, in a white cowl, and carrying a red book.
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