Who painted Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked?

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked was painted by Giovanni di Paolo in 1457-01-01.

Where can I see Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked?

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked is held by Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

What movement is Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked?

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked is associated with Early Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked?

Museum-quality prints of Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked

Giovanni di Paolo , 1457

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Giovanni di Paolo. It dates from 1457 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

This scene emphasizes Clare’s role as a protector of the vulnerable, linking her saintly intercession to maritime safety and divine compassion.

The painting shows Clare of Assisi extending her hand to save a stranded sailor and a small boat amid turbulent waters, a visual adaptation of the legendary rescue of a shipwreck credited to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. This scene emphasizes Clare’s role as a protector of the vulnerable, linking her saintly intercession to maritime safety and divine compassion. The composition blends devotional focus with narrative clarity, reflecting Renaissance interests in miraculous protection at sea and the active involvement of female saints in spiritual guardianship.

Technique & Style

The painting is executed in tempera on wood panel, a typical medium for 15th-century Italian religious works. Giovanni di Paolo’s handling emphasizes delicate modeling of figures and a flattened spatial depth, hallmarks of Sienese Gothic style. The composition centers on Clare of Assisi gesturing toward a foundering vessel, with dynamic drapery and intricate detailing that convey both narrative urgency and devotional focus.

History & Provenance

The painting Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked, attributed to Giovanni di Paolo, was created in 1457. It entered the collection of Richard von Kaufmann and subsequently passed to Harry Fuld, Harry Fuld Jr., and Lucie Mayer-Fuld before being acquired by the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. The work’s subject derives from the legend of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino saving a shipwrecked sailor, and it is classified as religious art with marine elements. The painting is currently housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked, painted by Giovanni di Paolo in 1457, is held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. The painting passed through several private collections before entering the museum, having been owned by Richard von Kaufmann, Harry Fuld, and Harry Fuld Jr, and later by Lucie Mayer-Fuld.

No specific inventory or accession number for the work at the Gemäldegalerie Berlin is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Context

The painting’s critical reception has emphasized its fusion of Giovanni di Paolo’s lyrical Sienese style with a maritime narrative rarely treated in Quattrocento art. Modern scholarship notes its place among the artist’s late works, where devotional intensity meets novel iconography, aligning it with the broader Tuscan tradition of miraculous rescue imagery.

Its treatment of Saint Clare’s intercession during a shipwreck distinguishes it from more common terrestrial miracles, reflecting a moment when Sienese artists expanded hagiographic subjects beyond traditional bounds. The panel’s inclusion in the Kaufmann and Fuld collections situates it within early twentieth-century German patronage networks focused on Italian primitives, reinforcing its reception among modern connoisseurs rather than contemporary audiences.

Overview

Giovanni di Paolo’s 1457 panel, titled Saint Clare rescuing the shipwrecked, presents a dramatic maritime scene rendered in the International Gothic idiom. The work is modest in size and now belongs to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, where it is displayed among other 15th‑century Italian panels.

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Saving a Shipwreck, Giovanni di Paolo

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Artist & collection

Artist

Giovanni di Paolo

Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia was an Italian painter, working primarily in Siena, becoming a prolific painter and illustrator of manuscripts, including Dante's texts.