Madonna of Mercy – Bettona

The work was probably originally housed in a rural shrine, before being moved to the church of Sant’Antonio in Bettona; in 1987 it was stolen and traced to Jamaica, then brought back to Italy and restored, in order to be safely preserved at the Pinacoteca of the city.

In the painting, in which the bright colors contrast the soft incarnations of the characters, the Virgin puts under her protection, opening her green mantle, Saint Stephen (the two stones and the dalmatic were no longer visible and reappeared thanks to the restoration work), and Saint Jerome; in the original frame, a round depicting the Ecce Homo should also be included.
 
The table is preserved at the Pinacoteca Comunale of Bettona.
Perugino, Madonna of Mercy, about 1512, tempera on panel, 147 x 201 cm, Bettona, Pinacoteca Comunale