Figure of Charity

This Figure of Charity, dating from about 1508, is attributed to Andrea del Sarto during his early career in Florence, when he was establishing himself as one of the city's leading painters alongside Fra Bartolommeo and Raphael. Del Sarto was celebrated for his sfumato technique and harmonious coloring, earning Vasari's epithet "the faultless painter." The work is at Sheffield's Galleries and Museums. Del Sarto's allegorical and multi-figure compositions demonstrate his mastery of the large-scale narrative painting that Florentine tradition demanded of its most ambitious artists. His management of multiple figures in complex spatial arrangements, his ability to orchestrate gesture and expression across a composition, and his quality of color and light all reflect the synthesis of tradition he achieved: Leonardo's depth, Raphael's order, Michelangelo's figure power, combined in a manner that was immediately recognizable as del Sarto's own. The Florentine tradition he inherited reached its fullest expression in his hands before Pontormo and Rosso transformed it into Mannerism.

The allegorical figure is modeled with del Sarto's characteristic soft sfumato, creating gentle tonal transitions that give the form a breathing warmth, complemented by his refined sense of balanced composition.