Saints Nicholas of Tolentino, Roch, Sebastian, and Bernardino of Siena, with Kneeling Donors
Medium
Tempera and gold on canvas, transferred from wood
Dimensions
Overall, with added strips, 31 x 24 3/8 in. (78.7 x 61.9 cm); painted surface 30 1/8 x 23 1/2 in. (76.5 x 59.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Accession Number
1976.100.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this luminous 1481 tempera and gold panel by Benozzo Gozzoli, a masterful Early Renaissance painter from Florence, four revered saints—Nicholas ofentino, Roch, Sebastian, and Bernardino of Sienastand protectively above a pair of kneeling donors, likely a pious couple commissioning the work for private devotion. Gozzoli, known for his vibrant frescoes in the Medici Palace fills the scene with intricate details: heavenly angels hover above, while charming townscapes unfold in the background, evoking the bustling Italian hill towns of the late 15th century. The saints, popular intercessors dur...