Il trittico perduto e ritrovato di Amaseno. Un contributo alla pittura del XIII secolo nel Lazio meridionale

The church at Amaseno, in the province of Frosinone, still holds a 13th century ‘tryptich’, which is unfortunately incomplete after its theft, in 1977, and recovery, in 2002. In origin it was composed of three indipendent panels, within a single frame, representing the throned Virgin with the Child, in the central panel, Saint Nicholas, in the right panel, and Saint Ambrose, now lost, in the left panel. This painting, although little known, is very interesting, both for its type – rather unusual in the 13th century, as it seems to forestall the later sacre conversazioni – both for its iconography, in particular, for the riding Saint Ambrose, who can be identified with the Roman centurion martyrized at Ferentino, and patron saint of this town, in whose diocese Amaseno lies. This type of ‘pastoral’ connection justifies the saint’s presence in the tryptich and it suggests that this iconography was not developed at Amaseno for the first time. Indeed, it is possible that it was copied from one of the icons with riding saints that were so common in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the contexts of the Crusaders, with whom Amaseno had various contacts during the 13th century. The style shows composite traits because, although both the physionomies, like the Child’s, and some of the clothing reveal components similar to those found in paintings from the areas of Rome and the Lazio in the first half of the 13th century, some other details and the rather stiff pictorial ductus seem to suggest a later date. The tryptich appears to be very close to the paintings present in the church’s presbytery and it may be the work of the same artists. It cannot be excluded that the patron of this pictorial campaign, datable around 1291 – when some of the work in the church seems to have been finished – may have been a member of one of the most powerful and aggressive families in the Maremma and Campagna, Riccardo of the counts of Ceccano, who decided to be buried in the church at Amaseno.