Saints Lawrence and Stephen

Mariotto employs the Florentine Gothic visual language, evident in the intricate gold ground, linear patterns on the garments, and the delicate rendering of the angel’s wings. The use of tempera allows for vivid coloration—pink for Lawrence’s robe and a red‑blue combination for Stephen—while the careful modeling of faces hints at the nascent interest in three‑dimensional form characteristic of the early Renaissance.

Active between 1388 and 1424, Mariotto di Nardo received commissions for major Florentine institutions such as the Duomo and Orsanmichele, producing both panel paintings and frescoes. This particular panel entered the Getty Museum’s collection in the late twentieth century, having passed through several private hands before its acquisition by the institution.

The painting belongs to a period when Florentine artists were beginning to move beyond the strict hieratic conventions of medieval art, incorporating more naturalistic details while retaining decorative richness. Its iconography aligns with contemporary devotional practices that emphasized the veneration of martyr saints as intercessors for the faithful.