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A Legend of Saints Justus and Clement of Volterra

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This scene shows Saints Clement and Justus coming to the aid of the citizens of Volterra – the town was under siege by the Vandals, a Germanic tribe. The people were starving until, in answer to the saints‘ prayers, the granaries were miraculously filled and it was finally possible to bake some bread.

The saints appear at the gates of the city, offering bread to their enemies following the instruction of the Book of Romans, which teaches: ’if thine enemy hunger, feed him' (Romans 12: 20). Some of the soldiers here rip off round rolls from a larger loaf. Well-fed, they end the siege.

This panel was part of a predella, the lowest part of an altarpiece. The altarpiece, the main panel of which is now in the Uffizi, Florence, was probably painted in 1479 for San Giusto alle Mura, a church just outside Florence that was dedicated to Saint Justus.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Legend of Saints Justus and Clement of Volterra

Date

probably 1479

Medium

Tempera on wood

Measurements

H 14 x W 39.4 cm

Accession number

NG2902

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Lady Lindsay, 1912

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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