Ambrogio Lorenzetti, a proto-Renaissance Sienese painter, is arguably best known for his Allegories of Good and Bad Government in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. While I didn't get the chance to see those works while visiting Siena on Friday, I did have the opportunity to see one of his earlier works, Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Benedict, Francis of Assisi, and Mary Magdalene in the Museo dell'Opera.
This work dating from 1320 - 1330 is four parts of a polyptych. A central panel seems to be missing as all four main figures and the four secondary figures in the trefoil frames face toward the middle. The polyptych is believed to be part of the Altar of the Magi that used to be in the Siena Duomo. Perhaps the polyptych is in sections now with the central panel missing because, like Duccio's Maesta, it was broken up to be sold.
The work can firmly be placed in the proto-Renaissance with the evident influence of the International Gothic Style and the influence of Humanism. The Gothic style is reflected in the pointed arches and gabled shape of each section. Humanistic ideas are reflected in the individualized treatment of the saints. Ambrogio Lorenzetti hasn't yet reached the level of realism prevalent in the Renaissance as his figures are still stiff, especially Benedict, and the drapery is too uniform in Francis and doesn't suggest or reflect the body beneath. Nonetheless, the work exhibits a beautiful and very Sienese use of color.
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