Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine c. 1510

These three scenes of the Life of Saint Augustine are painted in tempera on wood by an anonymous artist. They depict Augustine's baptism, his investiture as a bishop, and Augustine as a bishop with members of his order. Painted in Italy sometime in the 15th century, the settings are contemporary to the artist and likely to the original audience. Note the repetition of rounded arches, fluted columns, and classical robes; these visual codes reflected the humanist values of Renaissance Italy, where classical antiquity was seen as a model for art, architecture, and civic life. In particular, the composition, with many figures crowded into a shallow space, is typical of Florentine painting. These scenes demonstrate the social structures of the period, where religion was an important part of civic life and a public spectacle. To better understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped this artwork, one could consult historical documents, religious texts, and studies of Renaissance art and culture.