Scenes from the Life of Saint Zenobius 4 by Sandro Botticelli

This masterpiece from the late career of Sandro Botticelli illustrates the final miracle and death of Saint Zenobius, the patron saint of the city of Florence. The painter abandons here the poetic sweetness of his mythological works to adopt a much more dramatic, austere style of striking spiritual intensity. The rigorous architectural lines frame the mourning crowds and guide the eye through the various narrative episodes of the scene. The contrasting colors and theatrical postures of the characters express an overwhelming religious fervor. This oil-painted reproduction is a powerful testimony to the mystical crisis that swept through Florence at the end of the fifteenth century.