Processing
Pictography in oil on old wood panel, category ‘Picta’. Worked with magnifying glass; painted with two-layer Maimeri and Winsor and Newton paints. Solid wood board with anti-imbalancing crossbars (from size 30x40); concealed hook for wall mounting. Board thickness approx. 30 mm. Frame size: 115x112 cm. Framed size: 125x122 cm.
History
Luca Pacioli, a Franciscan friar and mathematician of the Renaissance, is famous for writing the Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalità (1494), in which he presented the first treatise on double-entry bookkeeping, an accounting technique that is still the basis of modern accounting. He was also a friend of Leonardo da Vinci, with whom he collaborated in the study of mathematics and geometry applied to art and perspective, profoundly influencing Renaissance thought. The painting is attributed to Jacopo de' Barbari and depicts the mathematician and Franciscan friar teaching the eighth proposition of Euclid's Elements to a disciple. Pacioli, dressed in a Franciscan habit of blue ash, uses a virgula on a blackboard with the inscription ‘EVCLIDES’, highlighting his role as an educator. The disciple, elegantly dressed in a red shirt and cloak, shows an attentive expression, symbolising his interest in teaching. On the table, covered with a green carpet, are various teaching tools, including books, chalk, a protractor and an inkwell, emphasising the importance of Renaissance didactics.
Jacopo de' Barbari (attr.), Portrait of Luca Pacioli (PICTA)