Forest Scene from the Tale of Nastagio degli Onesti, in Boccaccio's "Decameron"

Davide Ghirlandaio painted this Forest Scene from Boccaccio's tale of Nastagio degli Onesti around 1500. The story, from the fifth day of the Decameron, was a popular subject for cassone panels in Florentine households celebrating marriages. Davide worked extensively in his more famous brother Domenico's workshop before establishing an independent practice. 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.

Tempera and oil on panel with dramatic narrative staging in a forest clearing. The violent apparition scene is rendered with careful attention to movement and expression within a detailed woodland setting.