Artwork
St Lawrence
St Lawrence is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. It is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Lawrence of Rome, identified as the main subject of the work. Created in 1490 by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop, the piece belongs to the genre of religious art. As a representation of a Christian martyr, the work serves a devotional function within its historical context, focusing entirely on the figure of the saint.
Technique & Style
It depicts Saint Lawrence, a religious figure, rendered in the style characteristic of Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop during the late 15th century.
Executed in tempera on a wooden panel, the work measures 211 cm in height and 60 cm in width. It depicts Saint Lawrence, a religious figure, rendered in the style characteristic of Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop during the late 15th century. The painting is classified as a religious artwork and is part of the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, housed at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
The panel St Lawrence is dated to 1490 by internal curatorial records and the work’s Wikidata entry, which aligns the inception year with Ghirlandaio’s late period.
The painting entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections, now housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains in the museum’s holdings. Its dimensions of 211 cm in height and 60 cm in width are recorded in the same Wikidata entry, confirming the object’s canonical identity within the collection.
The painting St Lawrence, created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop around 1490, is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is currently located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains part of the permanent collection. The work depicts Lawrence of Rome and is executed in tempera on panel.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records, nor is there documented information regarding a distinct exhibition history for this piece. The artwork is cataloged within the broader holdings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections under the designation associated with the Alte Pinakothek.
Legacy
St Lawrence exerted lasting influence through its devotional resonance in Renaissance religious art, particularly as a paradigm of narrative clarity within the Florentine workshop tradition. The work's stylistic synthesis of Ghirlandaio's narrative precision and workshop collaboration established precedents for religious imagery in early 16th-century Florence, with its panel format and tempera technique becoming reference points for altarpiece production. Its enduring presence in museum collections, including the Alte Pinakothek's holdings, cemented its reputation as a benchmark for narrative religious painting in the Italian Renaissance.
Overview
Domenico Ghirlandaio's painting 'St Lawrence' is a tempera work from 1496, characteristic of the early Renaissance. It is now part of the Alte Pinakothek collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi (2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494), professionally known as Domenico Ghirlandaio (also spelt as Ghirlandajo), was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence.
