Saint Ambrose

Giovanni di Paolo's Saint Ambrose presents the Bishop of Milan, one of the four Latin Doctors of the Church, in the devotional altarpiece format typical of this Sienese master's extensive production. Ambrose's importance as the bishop who baptized Augustine and established the Ambrosian rite that still characterized Milanese liturgy gave him cross-regional significance beyond his Milanese diocese. Di Paolo's Gothic figure style, with its elongated proportions and rich gold details, gives Ambrose the otherworldly authority characteristic of his approach to all saintly figures — beings of luminous grace rather than naturalistic human presence.

Giovanni di Paolo's characteristic late manner features boldly simplified forms, a rich palette dominated by gold and deep reds, and the expressive distortions that give his saints their distinctive otherworldly presence.