Saint Agnes

This panel of Saint Agnes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, one of the two brilliant Lorenzetti brothers who brought Sienese painting to new heights of sophistication, depicts the early Christian virgin martyr who was one of the most popular saints in medieval devotion. Created around 1330, the work belongs to Ambrogio's early maturity, when he was developing the intellectually ambitious approach that would culminate in his famous Allegory of Good and Bad Government frescoes in Siena's Palazzo Pubblico. Saint Agnes was frequently depicted in Gothic art as a young woman with a lamb (agnus), punning on her name.

Painted in egg tempera and gold on panel, the figure of Saint Agnes demonstrates Ambrogio Lorenzetti's distinctive style — more volumetric and spatially aware than typical Sienese painting, reflecting his study of Florentine art. The saint's drapery is rendered with convincing weight and fall, and her face shows the thoughtful, individualized characterization that distinguishes Ambrogio's work.