Saint Clare

Andrea Vanni's Saint Clare (c. 1365) at the Benton Museum of Art depicts the thirteenth-century founder of the Poor Clares order, a figure of intense devotion in Sienese religious culture. Andrea Vanni was not only a prominent painter but also a politically active citizen of Siena who served on the city council and as an ambassador. His close friendship with Saint Catherine of Siena placed him at the center of the intense spiritual movements of the late Trecento, and his paintings of female saints often carry a particular conviction and warmth reflecting this personal engagement with religious life.

Tempera and gold on panel with the saint depicted holding her traditional attributes, likely including a monstrance or lily. Andrea Vanni's style features clear, direct draftsmanship with warm flesh tones and simplified drapery forms set against a luminous gold ground.