Saint Margaret

This previously unpublished Saint Margaret by Sano di Pietro exemplifies the colourful and enchanting qualities that made Sano’s work enormously sought after amongst Sienese patrons of the mid-14th century. Born Ansano di Pietro di Mencio, Sano’s early artistic training probably took place in the workshop of the great Sienese revolutionary Sassetta, several of whose unfinished works Sano completed after the elder artist’s death in 1450. Although Sassetta undoubtedly remained his strongest artistic influence, Sano’s paintings reveal his awareness of the art of Domenico di Bartolo and suggest that he also knew the work of Paolo Uccello and Fra Angelico. Here Margaret’s attribute, the dragon from whose belly she burst forth unscathed, appears subdued along the lower edge of the picture, its curling tail, bright red wing, and bristling scales and hair exemplifying Sano’s strong interest in colour and design. It is likely that the present work once formed part of a series of half-length saints which served as the predella for an altarpiece.

We are grateful to Everett Fahy and Professor Laurence Kanter for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.