Artibus et Historiae no. 13 (VII)
1986, ISSN 0391-9064Up
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DIANE COLE AHL - Benozzo Gozzoli's Frescoes of the Life of Saint Augustine in San Gimignano: Their Meaning in Context
This paper considers Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes of the life of Saint Augustine in San Gimignano in terms of their iconographic, stylistic and historic significance. It proposes how the cycle reveals the Quattrocento's conception of Augustine during a period of intense religious reform, synthesizing a rich hagiographic tradition with the image of the teologian that the Order sought to promote at the time. The importance of the murals in Benozzo's own stylistic development as well as their contributions to Renaissance narrative are assessed. Finally, it reconstructs the history of the chapel's patronage through new documentary evidence. The donor's involvement with the Augustinian Osservanza suggests that the chapel may constitute a unique instance of reform iconography.
