3. Italian Painting (13-18th c.)

The legend says it was a Roman soldier, Saint Ansanus to convert the people of Siena to Christian faith. In this picture, the moment of the adoption of Christianity is shown in front of the city gate marked with the Sienese black and white coats of arms. On the right, a large group of the Sienese cast off their clothes with wide gestures and serious facial expressions. From a huge tub behind him, the light-footed young saint clad in a voluminous cloak pours the water on the head of the three neophytes who kneel before him. The small panel formed part of a series showing the life of Ansanus, who was venerated as one of the protectors of Siena. Another scene of the series survives, depicting the beheading of the saint (Museo del Bargello, Florence). Giovanni di Paolo, the most individual Sienese painter of the 15th century, painted this captivating scene in the middle phase of his activity that covered the greater part of the century. The treatment of light that disregards cast shadows, the vivid colour scheme, the rhythmic grouping of figures, and the distorted perspective are important elements of his characteristic, fable-like visual world.