The Blood of the Pelican
Beato Angelico’s altarpiece The Crucifixion illustrates the meaning of the scene by means of a very special symbol drawn from biblical sources and a very long tradition. The Christ as a Pelican. Eternal Truths from the Animal Kingdom. By Stefano Chiappalone (Translated by Leonardo Pavese) Last July, for a singular coincidence, the famous Christie’s auction house offered to the bidders' attention a painting by Beato Angelico whose symbology is strictly linked to the Most Precious Blood of Christ, to which the month of July is traditionally dedicated. The Dominican friar Fra’ Giovanni da Fiesole (1395-1455), is more known in art history as Beato Angelico, a title that attests to his sanctity which was officially recognized in 1982 by Saint Pope John Paul II, who proclaimed him patron saint of the artists. Notwithstanding the prestigious commissions that he received during his lifetime, probably the Angelic could not have imagined that his relativel