Saint Pancras Polyptych
Bernardo Daddi·1338
Historical Context
The Saint Pancras Polyptych by Bernardo Daddi, painted around 1338 and now in the Uffizi Gallery, was created for a Florentine church dedicated to the early Christian martyr Saint Pancras. Daddi was the most prolific and commercially successful Florentine painter of the generation following Giotto, and his workshop produced numerous polyptychs for churches throughout Tuscany. This major altarpiece demonstrates the mature phase of Daddi's career, when he had fully synthesized the lessons of his master Giotto with the decorative refinement he admired in Sienese painting.
Technical Analysis
The polyptych is executed in egg tempera and gold leaf on shaped panels with Gothic pointed arches and elaborate frame carpentry. Daddi's figures display his characteristic soft modeling, gentle expressions, and richly patterned textiles that create a devotional art of intimate beauty.
