The Blessed Andrea Gallerani (died 1251)

The portrait of the Blessed Andrea Gallerani, attributed to Giovanni di Paolo, was created circa 1450 as a tempera painting on panel measuring 48.3 cm by 12.4 cm. It is recorded as a 15th‑century Sienese work and is classified as a portrait. The work entered the collection of Robert Lehman, whose holdings later became part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view in Gallery 956 dedicated to Fifteenth‑Century Sienese Paintings.

The painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, displayed in Gallery 956 dedicated to Fifteenth‑Century Sienese Paintings. It belongs to the Robert Lehman Collection, which the museum acquired through the bequest of Robert Lehman. The work is catalogued as a tempera portrait on panel, created circa 1450, depicting the Blessed Andrea Gallerani.

Exhibition records for the piece are not detailed in the consulted documentation, indicating that its public presentation has been limited to its permanent installation at the museum.

Giovanni di Paolo’s 1450 tempera portrait The Blessed Andrea Gallerani, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Lehman collection (Gallery 956, Fifteenth‑Century Sienese Paintings), depicts the saintly figure of Andrea Gallerani, who died in 1251. The work exemplifies the Sienese painter’s blend of devotional imagery and individual portraiture, reflecting broader trends in mid‑15th‑century Sienese art that combined narrative piety with realistic likeness. Scholarship identifies the painting as a subtle example of the transition from Gothic ornamentalism toward a more naturalistic rendering of space and texture, positioning it within the corpus of Giovanni di Paolo’s mature output.

Museum catalogues cite it as a noteworthy specimen of early Sienese portraiture, though its critical discussion remains limited to specialist literature.

Painted in 1450 by Giovanni di Paolo, The Blessed Andrea Gallerani depicts the 13th-century Sienese lay brother and founder of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. The work presents a full-length portrait of the subject standing against a traditional gold ground, framed by a pointed arch that evokes a Gothic architectural setting. Gallerani is shown in a long black habit marked by a small red cross on the chest, signifying his religious affiliation, while his hands clasp a string of beads.

His expression is solemn and direct, characteristic of the artist's approach to sacred portraiture during his mature period. The figure stands upon a rocky, uneven terrain with sparse green vegetation, a detail that contrasts with the flat, luminous background. Executed in tempera, the painting reflects Giovanni di Paolo's distinctive style, which blends the linear elegance of the Sienese tradition with a heightened emotional intensity.

This work serves as a devotional image honoring the local saint, created during a time when the artist was producing numerous religious commissions for Sienese institutions. The composition emphasizes the spiritual gravity of the subject, utilizing the gold leaf not merely as decoration but as a symbol of divine light surrounding the holy figure.