> Home > >
Martirio di frati francescani Siena
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
Artist: Ambrogio Lorenzetti
Year: 1320-1325 circa
Current location: Basilica e convento di San Francesco
Original location: Basilica e convento di San Francesco
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION
Detached fresco, 323 x 343 cm
The work originally came from the convent's chapter house, which was devastated by fire on the night of August 23, 1655. Today, the detached fresco is located inside the Basilica of San Francesco in Siena.
The painting depicts the brutal martyrdom of a group of Franciscan friars in Islamic lands, either in Ceuta or Almaliq, and depicts the beheading of the monks before an Eastern ruler seated on a throne.
Lorenzetti demonstrates an extraordinary mastery of 14th-century perspective.
The episode is set beneath an elaborate Gothic loggia and unfolds with depth and great architectural realism.
The fresco is also renowned for the incredible variety and precision of the oriental costumes, exotic headdresses, and the faces of the soldiers and spectators.
This meticulous reproduction testifies to Siena's frequent commercial and cultural contacts with the Byzantine and Asian worlds.
The faces of the witnesses and executioners express a wide range of emotions: from bureaucratic detachment to cruelty, contrasting with the serene resignation of the martyrs.
Martirio di frati francescani.jpeg)