Monogram of Christ between two saints

Andrea Mantegna's Monogram of Christ between Two Saints, dated 1452 and now in the Museo Antoniano, Padua, is one of his earliest surviving works, created when he was approximately twenty-one. The work was likely painted for a devotional context in Padua, where Mantegna had trained in Squarcione's workshop and was already receiving independent commissions. The sacred monogram (IHS) was promoted by Saint Bernardino of Siena and became a powerful devotional symbol.

This early work already displays Mantegna's precise, sculptural style with clean contours and architectural clarity, demonstrating the precocious mastery that led to his appointment to the Ovetari Chapel frescoes.