Sano di Pietro
Pope Calixtus III with the Virgin blessing Siena
tempera on panel, 158x115 cm (1456)
Siena - PINACOTECA NAZIONALE
The signed panel painting recalls the historic event of the famine that afflicted Siena in 1455 and represents the Virgin’s assignment of Siena to the pastoral care of the Pope. The two figures, larger in size compared to the surrounding landscape, are emphatically represented together with precise details of Siena with its walls and the motif of the black and white civic emblem of the balzana represented on the bales of grain carried on the backs of the mules being driven towards the city gate. It is with no doubt one of the most fascinating and accomplished works of Sano di Pietro for its graceful composition and the elegant and original narrative.
Provenance: from Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
Work currently on display at the exhibition Renaissance Siena: art for city
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