the Saints John the Baptist, Egidius, Gerard of Villamagna, Paul and Catherine (or Miniato)

Nardo di Cione, brother of Andrea Orcagna and a prominent figure in mid-fourteenth-century Florentine painting, assembled this panel of saints including John the Baptist, Egidius, Gerard of Villamagna, Paul, and Catherine. The selection of saints reflects the specific devotional needs of the commissioning institution, with Gerard of Villamagna indicating a Florentine connection as he was a local blessed. Nardo's monumental style, deeply influenced by Giotto's legacy, represents the authoritative strand of Florentine Gothic painting.

Executed in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the saints are arranged in a hieratic row with Nardo's characteristic gravity and sculptural solidity. The careful modeling of faces and drapery shows his mastery of chiaroscuro within the constraints of the tempera medium.