Life of St Benedict, Scene 19: Benedict Sends away the Harlots

Il Sodoma painted this scene of Benedict sending away harlots around 1505 as part of his extensive fresco cycle at the Territorial Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. This Benedictine monastery near Siena commissioned the cycle from both Signorelli and Sodoma to illustrate the life of their order's founder, creating one of the most important Renaissance fresco ensembles in Tuscany. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The fresco demonstrates Sodoma's Leonardesque figure types and dramatic gestures within an architectural setting, with the narrative clarity and decorative richness that characterize his Monte Oliveto cycle.