Saint Augustine

This Saint Augustine at the Birmingham Museum of Art depicts one of the four Latin Doctors of the Church. Augustine's theological writings profoundly shaped Western Christianity, and his image appeared frequently in Italian altarpieces and devotional panels Altarpieces featuring rows of standing saints served both liturgical and devotional functions, identifying the church's patron saints and giving worshippers specific objects for personal prayer.

The Church Father is rendered in episcopal vestments with Sano di Pietro's characteristic precision, the bishop's mitre and scholarly attributes depicted with the refined detail typical of the Sienese school.