Female saint
Unknown Artist
15th century
Medium
Silk and metal thread on canvas
Dimensions
L. 11 3/4 x W. 7 inches (29.8 x 17.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Coudert Brothers, 1888
Accession Number
88.3.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 15th-century Italian panel, titled *Female Saint*, portrays a revered holy woman, likely intended for personal devotion or as part of a larger religious ensemble. Measuring just 11¾ x 7 inches, its intimate scale suggests it could have adorned a private altar, prayer book cover or ecclesiastical garment during the Middle Ages in Italy, time when veneration of saints was central to Catholic life. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of European Sculpture and Decor Arts, it entered the collection as a gift from Cert Brothers in 188. Crafted with silk and shimmeri...