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Secondary sourcePainting1320

Saint Benedict

Segna di Bonaventura · 1320

An early 14th-century Sienese gold-ground panel showing Benedict as a monk blessed by Christ, part of a larger altarpiece.

Shows Benedict as a sainted founder receiving divine approval, part of an altarpiece devoted to his cult.

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Gold-ground panel painting. A bald, gray-haired monk in a dark brown hooded habit raises his right hand and holds a red book. Above him, two gothic arches frame Christ holding a book in a green and red robe, and an angel in a red robe pointing upward.
Segna di Bonaventura, Saint Benedict, c. 1320. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This gold-ground panel was painted around 1320 by the Sienese artist Segna di Bonaventura. It shows Benedict in a monk's habit, raising his hand and holding a red book, with Christ and an angel above him. It was originally part of a polyptych and is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The painting reflects the early Italian style of showing saints: flat gold backgrounds and gestures of blessing that marked Benedict as a holy founder recognised directly by Christ. It shows how medieval Italian artists like Segna presented Benedict's authority as coming from heaven.

Look closer

  • What does the gold background suggest about how the artist wanted viewers to see this scene?
  • Why do you think Christ and an angel are placed above Benedict rather than beside him?
  • What is missing from this image that a modern viewer might expect in a portrait?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Benedict on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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