Saint Silvester Gozzolini

Segna di Bonaventura painted this image of Saint Silvester Gozzolini, the thirteenth-century founder of the Silvestrine Benedictine congregation, around 1320. The depiction of this relatively recent saint, canonized in 1598 but venerated locally much earlier, suggests a commission from a Silvestrine house in Tuscany or the Marches. The panel provides valuable evidence for the cult of local Italian saints and the role of Gothic painting in promoting religious orders.

Tempera and gold on panel, with the monastic saint depicted in the half-length format standard for polyptych lateral panels. Segna's conservative Ducciesque technique is evident in the precise, controlled brushwork and the restrained, dignified treatment of the figure.