Bishop Saint Enthroned

Allegretto Nuzi's Bishop Saint Enthroned, painted around 1365, depicts an unidentified bishop saint in the hieratic, frontal format typical of Gothic altarpiece panels from the Marches region of central Italy. Allegretto was the leading painter in Fabriano during the mid-fourteenth century, known for richly decorative altarpieces that blended Florentine and Sienese influences with local Marchigian traditions. The panel at the Art Institute of Chicago reflects his prominent role in establishing a distinctive regional school that would later produce Gentile da Fabriano.

Egg tempera and gold on panel with elaborate decorative detail in the bishop's vestments and throne, characteristic of Allegretto's ornamental approach. The frontal composition, rich gilding, and intricate textile patterns reflect the Marchigian Gothic taste for sumptuous surface embellishment.