Altarpiece of St. Clare
1280s
Tempera on panel, 107.5 x 65 in. (273 x 165 cm.)
Convent of St. Clare, Assisi
This type of altarpiece, a single panel with a saint in the center flanked by episodes from his or her life, came into use in Italy in the 13th century. The tall shape exemplified here became popular from about 1235 (Ekserdjian, 283). In this case the portrait has Clare in her Franciscan habit pointing to a processional cross.
The episodes are from Thomas of Celano's Life of St. Clare and read chronologically from bottom to top on the left and then from bottom to top on the right. The first episode on the left is her reception of a palm from the bishop on Palm Sunday (Life 13-15); the second and third, her acceptance into the religious life (Life 14-17). The fourth is hard to identify.
On the right are three episodes in the saint's death. In the first, the Pope visits her deathbed (Life 65-66). In the second, the Blessed Virgin and a host of virgin saints cover her body with a mantle (Life 71). The third shows her sisters carrying away her casket. The top right image shows one of the many miracles gained through prayers the saint's intercession.
Read more about images of St. Clare.
Source: Picture: this page at Wikimedia Commons.
Image data: Web Gallery of Art
