Adoring Saints: Left Main Tier Panel
- Artist: Lorenzo Monaco
- Date: 1407-9
- Medium: egg tempera on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Adoring Saints: Left Main Tier Panel" painted in the Italian north by Lorenzo Monaco. The painting was originally part of a large polyptych, an altarpiece with multiple panels, created for the Camaldolese monastery of San Benedetto fuori della Porta Pinti in Florence.
As you look at this panel, you'll see that it depicts the coronation of the Virgin, which was placed at the centre of the altarpiece. The saints you see here were chosen because they were important to the monks at San Benedetto. In the front row, we have Saint Benedict holding a book with words from his Rule, which the Camaldolites followed. He's also wearing white, like the monks.
Next to him is Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence, wearing a pink robe over a hair tunic. Then there's Saint Matthew, whose book has words from his Gospel. These saints are looking at the coronation scene, which was the focal point of the altarpiece.
The painting features bright colours and gilding, typical of Florentine art around 1400. The figures appear three-dimensional, but the light doesn't fall consistently, and the drapery folds are arranged in rhythmic patterns to evoke a sense of the kingdom of heaven. Lorenzo Monaco used decorative effects rather than trying to show a real space.
The panel was originally part of a single construction, with angels surrounding the Virgin's throne visible on the far right. Unfortunately, it was split into three panels at some point, and two vertical bands were lost between the side and main panels. These sections have been reconstructed here in the gallery.
See it in person
Adoring Saints: Left Main Tier Panel hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
