Saint Apolloniac. 1435
Sassetta painted this in about 1435, aged 45. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
This painting shows a person standing, their head slightly tilted to the left. They have a pale complexion, and short, wavy blonde hair adorned with a thin red crown. They have rosy, pink cheeks, arched eyebrows, a straight nose, and small lips set in a neutral expression. The individual is wearing a long red robe over a black tunic or dress and is holding a long black quill-like object in one hand, and what looks like a thin staff with a red loop at the end in the other. A detailed golden halo surrounds their head, and the background features an ornate gold pattern which is slightly worn and peeling in some places. The painting is bordered by a golden frame.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Sassetta painted this in about 1435, aged 45. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Tempera
- Pigment bound with egg yolk. It dries in minutes and can’t be blended wet, so painters built up form with fine, hatched strokes. It was Europe’s main panel technique before oil.
Sassetta
Sienese, probably 1392–1450 · Born in Siena or Cortona; died in Siena.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1943.4.5
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Painting
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
