Saint Donatus
Artist:
Martino di Bartolomeo
(Italian, active 1389 - 1434)
General region:Siena, Italy, Europe
Culture: Italian
Date: ca. 1400
Medium: Tempera on poplar panel
Dimensions:
22 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. (57.8 x 29.8 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Object number: 38.17
Signed: Unsigned
Published References
Roberts, Perri Lee. "The Corpus of Early Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections: The South." Volume 3. Georgia Museum of Art: Atlanta, 2006.
Roberts, Perri Lee, et. al. Sacred Treasures: Early Italian Paintings from Southern Collections (Athens: Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 2002), 66-67
Label Text
Saint Donatus was a ninth century Irish monk who left his homeland on a pilgrimage to Rome. On his way back, he arrived at the Italian town of Fiesole, where a new bishop was being sought. As soon as Donatus entered the cathedral, the bells rang, the lamps were lit, and he was proclaimed bishop of Fiesole. Apart from his ecclesiastical duties, Donatus also led the regions troops against Saracen invaders and obtained the right to his own court and to levy taxes. In addition, Donatus was a scholar and teacher, and his works include a life of Saint Brigid, in whose name he also founded a hospice.
Martino di Bartolomeo was an important Sienese painter whose style reflects Byzantine influence while prefiguring the naturalism of the early Renaissance. He depicts Donatus as a bishop saint wearing a mitre, chasuble, ecclesiastical gloves and holding a crozier. Bartolommeo was the son of a goldsmith and his frescoes adorn cathedrals and churches in Siena and Pisa.
Martino di Bartolomeo was an important Sienese painter whose style reflects Byzantine influence while prefiguring the naturalism of the early Renaissance. He depicts Donatus as a bishop saint wearing a mitre, chasuble, ecclesiastical gloves and holding a crozier. Bartolommeo was the son of a goldsmith and his frescoes adorn cathedrals and churches in Siena and Pisa.
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
