Artwork
An Episode from the Life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto
An Episode from the Life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto is a tempera painting. It dates from 1400 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a narrative episode from the life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto, a 14th‑century Florentine monk known for his devotion and miracles.
The painting illustrates a narrative episode from the life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto, a 14th‑century Florentine monk known for his devotion and miracles. According to the sources, the composition includes a saintly figure, a crucifix, and a horse, elements that together convey the saint’s spiritual authority and the miraculous rescue of a fellow monk. The presence of the crucifix underscores the work’s religious context, while the mounted saint signals the saint’s role as a protector and miracle‑worker.
The piece, attributed to Niccolò di Pietro Gerini and dated to 1400, functions as a devotional image intended to inspire veneration within the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
Technique & Style
An Episode from the Life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto is executed in tempera on a wooden panel support. Dating to approximately 1400, the work measures 146.7 cm in height and 72.4 cm in width. As a religious painting attributed to Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, the piece depicts a narrative scene involving a saint, a horse, a man, and a crucifixion.
The medium and scale are characteristic of early 15th-century Italian panel painting, utilizing the durable combination of pigment and binder on wood to render the sacred figures and settings with the formal clarity typical of the period's religious art.
History & Provenance
An Episode from the Life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto is a tempera-on-panel work dated to 1400, attributed to Niccolò di Pietro Gerini. No information is available regarding the circumstances of its commission, the patron for whom it was created, or the artist who executed it. Likewise, the sources do not document an ownership chain prior to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held, nor do they provide details on accession dates, dealers, or intermediate collectors.
The dating rests on the inception year of 1400 recorded for the work, but no further creation history, workshop context, or production circumstances are specified.
The painting is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is recorded as accession number 1975.1.100. It was attributed to Niccolò di Pietro Gerini and dated to circa 1400. The work has been exhibited at the museum as part of its permanent collection display, though no specific temporary exhibitions are documented in the cited sources.
Overview
This tempera painting, titled An Episode from the Life of Saint Giovanni Gualberto, depicts a significant moment from the saint's narrative. The composition centers on a figure in red, prominently holding a large cross, positioned before an architectural backdrop. Surrounding figures contribute to the scene's narrative, with some standing and one kneeling, inviting contemplation of the event unfolding.
Artist & collection
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