Francesco del Cossa was newly arrived in
Bologna when he received from a commission from the Griffoni family for an altarpiece for the chapel in the
Basilica of San Petronio, made in collaboration of another painter from Ferrara,
Ercole de' Roberti. The altarpiece was for dedication of the
Chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer; the saint having been canonized in 1448 and his cult promoted by the
Dominican Order. The work remained in the chapel until 1725–1730, when it was disassembled and sold in separate lots.. The two upper panels of
Saint Florian and
Saint Lucy ended up in
Gubbio in the collections of Count Ugo Beni around 1858. In 1882 they were put up for sale with the other assets of the Count and purchased by Joseph Spiridon, who placed them on the antiques market. In 1936 they were purchased by the
Samuel H. Kress Foundation and then donated to the
National Gallery of Art in 1939. In 1952 the
tondo, was also added. In 1935, the polyptych was virtually rebuilt by
Roberto Longhi, in his work, ''''. == Description ==