Magnanimity of Scipio Africanus

Bernardino Fungai painted this Magnanimity of Scipio Africanus around 1500 in Siena. The classical subject of Scipio's generosity in releasing a captive was popular for secular decorative panels. Fungai was one of the last significant painters of the Sienese school, maintaining the city's refined decorative tradition into the Renaissance. 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 on panel with Sienese elegance of line and warm palette. The classical narrative is staged with the decorative refinement characteristic of late Sienese painting.