Artwork
the Saints John the Baptist, Egidius, Gerard of Villamagna, Paul and Catherine (or Miniato)
the Saints John the Baptist, Egidius, Gerard of Villamagna, Paul and Catherine (or Miniato) is an oil painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Nardo di Cione. It dates from 1350 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1350 by the Florentine painter Nardo di Cione, this wooden panel presents a group of five saints against a flat gold field. The work is currently displayed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. Its composition places each figure in a formal, frontal stance, allowing the viewer direct visual access to the saints and their symbolic attributes.
Subject & Meaning
The panel brings together John the Baptist, Saint Egidius, Saint Gerard of Villamagna, the Apostle Paul, and Catherine of Alexandria (sometimes identified as Saint Miniato). Each figure bears a halo and holds an emblem—such as a sword or a cross—signifying their martyrdom or theological role, reinforcing the devotional purpose of the image within a medieval context.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera on a wooden support, the painting employs a gold background typical of 14th‑century Italian devotional art. Nardo’s handling shows careful attention to the texture of fabrics and the intricate detailing of accessories, while the figures are rendered with a realistic, three‑dimensional presence that balances naturalism with the symbolic flatness of the gold field.
History & Provenance
Attributed to Nardo di Cione, a member of a prominent artistic family active in mid‑1300s Florence, the panel entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in the 19th century. Its survival on wood and the preservation of its original gilded surface provide valuable insight into the materials and workshop practices of the period.
Artist & collection
![Saint John the Evangelist [right panel], by Nardo di Cione](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/nardo-di-cione--saint-john-the-evangelist-right-panel--fdd92c8ff7afceaf-w320.webp)
Saint John the Evangelist [right panel]![Saint Peter [left panel], by Nardo di Cione](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/nardo-di-cione--saint-peter-left-panel--df6a39da35a16159-w320.webp)
Saint Peter [left panel]![Madonna and Child, with the Man of Sorrows [middle panel], by Nardo di Cione](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/nardo-di-cione--madonna-and-child-with-the-man-of-sorrows-middle-panel--5ab4de48523071e4-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child, with the Man of Sorrows [middle panel]![Madonna and Child, with Saints Peter and John the Evangelist, and Man of Sorrows [entire triptych], by Nardo di Cione](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/nardo-di-cione--madonna-and-child-with-saints-peter-and-john-the-evangelist--a57f261be4c5dd48-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child, with Saints Peter and John the Evangelist, and Man of Sorrows [entire triptych]
the Saints Peter, Benedict, Julian (?), Stephan (?), and a holy bishop (Nicholas of Bari?)
