Fine Art Poster
From $29
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Preaching to the Birds and Blessing Montefalco - Benozzo Gozzoli
Regular price
$29.00 USD
Sale price
$29.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A 1452 fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting Saint Francis preaching to birds and blessing the town of Montefalco.
This fresco, executed by Benozzo Gozzoli in 1452, forms part of the cycle depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi within the church of San Francesco in Montefalco, Italy. The composition presents two distinct episodes from the saint's life, unified by the expansive Umbrian terrain. On the left, Saint Francis addresses a gathering of birds, a scene derived from the Fioretti, which recounts his sermon to the creatures of the air. The birds are rendered with careful observation, their forms scattered across the foreground. To the right, the saint is shown blessing the town of Montefalco, accompanied by his followers. The town itself is depicted with architectural precision, reflecting the contemporary appearance of the settlement. The figures are dressed in the traditional Franciscan habit, their postures conveying a sense of quiet devotion. Gozzoli, a student of Fra Angelico, demonstrates a clear interest in the natural world and the integration of human figures into a wider environment. The sky, marked by horizontal bands of cloud, provides a backdrop for the rolling hills and the fortified walls of the town. The palette remains grounded in earth tones, with soft blues and ochres defining the atmosphere of the Italian countryside. This work captures the narrative clarity characteristic of the period, focusing on the interaction between the saint and the physical world he inhabited. The attention to detail, from the individual feathers of the birds to the masonry of the town walls, reflects the artist's approach to storytelling through visual observation.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Complete The Look
Preaching to the Birds and Blessing Montefalco - Benozzo Gozzoli
Regular price
From $29.00 USD
Sale price
From $29.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Benozzo Gozzoli
The self-portrait is easy to miss: Gozzoli painted himself peering from behind a rocky outcrop on the west wall of the Medici chapel, one large hand raised as if waving at the procession he has orchestrated across three walls. The fresco, commissioned in 1459 and completed by around 1463, is called the Procession of the Magi, but it reads more as a catalogue of Florentine power. Lorenzo de' Medici rides in gold robes as a young Magus; a youth in blue holds a baby leopard in a gold collar on a leash; and Byzantine Emperor John Palaeologus, who had visited Florence twenty years earlier as a guest of the Medici, appears as the eldest king on a white mule.
Gozzoli trained first as a goldsmith's apprentice under Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery shaped his love of dense narrative and decorative precision. He then worked as an assistant to Fra Angelico, absorbing Renaissance spatial conventions without Fra Angelico's devotional gravity. Scholars have been blunt about his limitations: Ernst Gombrich called him a 'minor master' who applied new perspective methods 'gaily without worrying overmuch about their difficulty.' The Procession's rocky landscape still rises flat from bottom to top, indebted more to Ghiberti's bas-relief language than to Masaccio's pictorial space.
None of that troubled his patrons. The subject of the Magi was popular among wealthy Florentines precisely because it licensed the painting of costly brocades, gleaming gold, and thoroughbred horses in quantities that declared the patron's status. The Medici chapel, small enough that access felt like a privilege, was used for family mass and for receiving visiting ambassadors. The procession of kings served as a perfect backdrop for those audiences.
Gozzoli went on to paint extensive fresco cycles at Montefalco (1452, the life of St Francis) and at the Campo Santo in Pisa (from 1469, Old Testament narratives covering thousands of square feet). Neither matches the Medici chapel for concentrated ambition, but both confirm his command of large-scale narrative pageantry. He died at Pistoia in 1497, working almost to the end.
Gozzoli trained first as a goldsmith's apprentice under Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery shaped his love of dense narrative and decorative precision. He then worked as an assistant to Fra Angelico, absorbing Renaissance spatial conventions without Fra Angelico's devotional gravity. Scholars have been blunt about his limitations: Ernst Gombrich called him a 'minor master' who applied new perspective methods 'gaily without worrying overmuch about their difficulty.' The Procession's rocky landscape still rises flat from bottom to top, indebted more to Ghiberti's bas-relief language than to Masaccio's pictorial space.
None of that troubled his patrons. The subject of the Magi was popular among wealthy Florentines precisely because it licensed the painting of costly brocades, gleaming gold, and thoroughbred horses in quantities that declared the patron's status. The Medici chapel, small enough that access felt like a privilege, was used for family mass and for receiving visiting ambassadors. The procession of kings served as a perfect backdrop for those audiences.
Gozzoli went on to paint extensive fresco cycles at Montefalco (1452, the life of St Francis) and at the Campo Santo in Pisa (from 1469, Old Testament narratives covering thousands of square feet). Neither matches the Medici chapel for concentrated ambition, but both confirm his command of large-scale narrative pageantry. He died at Pistoia in 1497, working almost to the end.
Our Features
Designed for Lasting Impact
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Made to order
Choose your finish
Every piece is printed to order. These are the five finishes, and what makes each one different.
Fine Art Framed
From $89
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
Premium Box Frame
From $169
A deeper solid wood frame: 33mm deep with a 20mm face and Perspex glaze. The print sits unmounted for a clean gallery presentation. Black, white or natural.
Canvas
From $59
Hand-stretched canvas with neat gallery-wrapped edges, giving the artwork surface texture and depth. Arrives ready to hang.
Framed Canvas
From $175
Stretched canvas set in a floating wood frame, our most substantial finish. Arrives ready to hang.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
Artist Biography
Benozzo Gozzoli
The self-portrait is easy to miss: Gozzoli painted himself peering from behind a rocky outcrop on the west wall of the Medici chapel, one large hand raised as if waving at the procession he has orchestrated across three walls. The fresco, commissioned in 1459 and completed by around 1463, is called the Procession of the Magi, but it reads more as a catalogue of Florentine power. Lorenzo de' Medici rides in gold robes as a young Magus; a youth in blue holds a baby leopard in a gold collar on a leash; and Byzantine Emperor John Palaeologus, who had visited Florence twenty years earlier as a guest of the Medici, appears as the eldest king on a white mule.
Gozzoli trained first as a goldsmith's apprentice under Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery shaped his love of dense narrative and decorative precision. He then worked as an assistant to Fra Angelico, absorbing Renaissance spatial conventions without Fra Angelico's devotional gravity. Scholars have been blunt about his limitations: Ernst Gombrich called him a 'minor master' who applied new perspective methods 'gaily without worrying overmuch about their difficulty.' The Procession's rocky landscape still rises flat from bottom to top, indebted more to Ghiberti's bas-relief language than to Masaccio's pictorial space.
None of that troubled his patrons. The subject of the Magi was popular among wealthy Florentines precisely because it licensed the painting of costly brocades, gleaming gold, and thoroughbred horses in quantities that declared the patron's status. The Medici chapel, small enough that access felt like a privilege, was used for family mass and for receiving visiting ambassadors. The procession of kings served as a perfect backdrop for those audiences.
Gozzoli went on to paint extensive fresco cycles at Montefalco (1452, the life of St Francis) and at the Campo Santo in Pisa (from 1469, Old Testament narratives covering thousands of square feet). Neither matches the Medici chapel for concentrated ambition, but both confirm his command of large-scale narrative pageantry. He died at Pistoia in 1497, working almost to the end.
Gozzoli trained first as a goldsmith's apprentice under Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery shaped his love of dense narrative and decorative precision. He then worked as an assistant to Fra Angelico, absorbing Renaissance spatial conventions without Fra Angelico's devotional gravity. Scholars have been blunt about his limitations: Ernst Gombrich called him a 'minor master' who applied new perspective methods 'gaily without worrying overmuch about their difficulty.' The Procession's rocky landscape still rises flat from bottom to top, indebted more to Ghiberti's bas-relief language than to Masaccio's pictorial space.
None of that troubled his patrons. The subject of the Magi was popular among wealthy Florentines precisely because it licensed the painting of costly brocades, gleaming gold, and thoroughbred horses in quantities that declared the patron's status. The Medici chapel, small enough that access felt like a privilege, was used for family mass and for receiving visiting ambassadors. The procession of kings served as a perfect backdrop for those audiences.
Gozzoli went on to paint extensive fresco cycles at Montefalco (1452, the life of St Francis) and at the Campo Santo in Pisa (from 1469, Old Testament narratives covering thousands of square feet). Neither matches the Medici chapel for concentrated ambition, but both confirm his command of large-scale narrative pageantry. He died at Pistoia in 1497, working almost to the end.
You May Also Like