The Resurrection

Ugolino di Nerio's Resurrection panel, dated around 1324, is another fragment from his great dismembered altarpiece, believed to be the high altar of Santa Croce in Florence. The Resurrection was the climactic scene in the altarpiece's Passion narrative, showing Christ rising triumphant from the tomb while soldiers sleep. Ugolino's rendering of this pivotal Christian subject carries the refined elegance of Duccio's workshop tradition into one of Florence's most important Franciscan churches.

Tempera and gold on poplar panel with the risen Christ depicted in a mandorla of light above the sarcophagus. The sleeping soldiers are arranged in rhythmic poses around the tomb, demonstrating Ugolino's ability to compose complex multi-figure scenes while maintaining the decorative harmony prized by the Sienese school.