St Dominic

Sandro Botticelli painted this Saint Dominic around 1501, during the final, austere phase of his career influenced by Savonarola's fiery preaching. The Dominican founder was an appropriate subject for the spiritually transformed Botticelli, who had become increasingly devoted to the ideals that Savonarola championed. 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 Botticelli's late angular style and restrained palette. The saint's austere expression and simplified forms reflect the devotional severity of Botticelli's final years.