Circle of Francesco Valdambrino

Circle of FRANCESCO VALDAMBRINO, Sienese School; 15th century.
"Saint Rosalia of Palermo".
Carved and polychrome wood.
Presents restorations.
It conserves its original base.
Measurements: 112 x 34 x 28 cm.
In an austere and sober way, the artist shows us a divine entity holding a book in one of her hands, while she raises the other in such a way that she interpellates the spectator. The idealised face with features that tend towards the symbolic show us the aesthetic influence of the Gothic style. However, his stylised figure and his posture with his slightly bent hips show a move towards the Renaissance, as these features are reminiscent of classical antiquity. Despite the few visible attributes, this is a representation of Rosalia of Palermo, who was a 12th-century Italian saint whose cult was promoted by the Benedictines. She is considered a protector against infectious diseases, such as the plague, and is also invoked to seek her protection in difficult times. Rosalia lived in solitude, poverty and penance, and according to her hagiography she performed miracles such as the extinction of the plague that devastated her native Sicily. Patron saint of Palermo, she enjoys great devotion in Sicily. Saint Rosalia was an important subject in Italian Renaissance and Baroque painting, particularly in the sacre conversazioni (group images of saints flanking the Virgin Mary) of artists such as Riccardo Quartararo, Mario di Laurito, Vincenzo La Barbara and possibly Antonello da Messina. But it was the Flemish master Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1637), who was caught in Palermo during the plague of 1624, who produced the largest number of paintings of her. Saint Rosalia is usually depicted as a young woman with flowing blonde hair, wearing a Franciscan hood or a crown of flowers and leaning towards the city of Palermo in her peril.

Valdambrino trained in Siena with the sculptor Piero d'Angelo, father of Jacopo della Quercia. Around 1395, he produced his first work, the statue of San Savino. At the beginning of the 15th century the artist worked in Tuscany, as evidenced by the Annunciation and the statue of the Madonna and Child for the church of San Andrea, both in the Pisa region. In 1401 he took part with Filippo Brunelleschi, Jacopo della Quercia, Simone da Colle di Val d'Elsa, Niccolò di Piero Lamberti and Niccolò di Luca Spinelli in the competition organised by the Arte di Calimala for the reliefs for the second door of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, which was later won by Lorenzo Ghiberti. From 1408 onwards Francesco di Valdambrino held various public posts in Siena, including that of standard-bearer, gonfalonier, councillor of the Town Council, prior of the Town Council, auditor and castellan, while from an artistic point of view his works acquired classical features, thus abandoning his previous period, which can be defined as youthful. The Angels with Candelabra in the church of San Martino and the Annunciation, both in Siena, bear witness to this artistic transition. From 1414 to 1420 the artist developed a second creative phase, characterised by a solid harmony of forms, beautiful drapery and serenity of movement. A third creative phase can be traced after 1420 and can be seen in Saint Anthony Abbot in Siena and Saint Peter Enthroned in Montalcino. This phase is distinguished by late Gothic mannerism and plasticity of form.