St Benedict of Nursia
by NARDO DI CIONE, Tempera and gold on panel, 84 x 34 cm
St Benedict of Nursia (480-543) is depicted according to the pictorial tradition, holding a book in his left hand and a birch rod in his right, common attributes in other images of this saint. Benedict is dressed in a white robe that falls in folds over his bare feet.
The panel is in a good state of preservation, with only minor retouches. It belongs to Nardo’s works on wood whose chronological order is still debated.