Description
Saint Lawrence is a small panel from a now-dismembered polyptych and one of the most monumental saint images of Giotto's mature period. The saint is shown half-length against a gold ground, turned slightly to the left, with a solid and restrained physical presence. He wears the dalmatic of a deacon and holds the palm of martyrdom. The richness of the vestment contrasts with the gravity of his face and reinforces the liturgical dignity of the figure.
The modeling reveals Giotto's characteristic search for volume, with the body sensed beneath the folds and the face shaped by transitions of light and shadow. The saint appears to look toward another figure outside the panel, suggesting that the work was conceived as part of a larger ensemble.
