Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
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Title:
Obsequies of St. Fina
Creator:
Ghirlandaio, Domenico, painter
Description:
Fina is the patron saint of San Gimignano. She was the daughter of poor parents and lived an ascetic way of life upon the death of her mother. She died from illness at age fifteen on the feast day of Saint Gregory in 1253. At the instant she died, white, beautifully scented flowers blossomed from her bed. Here the saint is depicted as a beautiful young woman lying on a richly decorated bed in front of an altar; the flowers that appeared upon her death are here made of gold embroidery. Kneeling by Fina's bedside is the nurse who tended her before her death. According to Fina's vita, the nurse became paralyzed from holding the saint's head for a prolonged period of time. Here she received a healing touch from Fina's hands and a blind boy regains his sight by touching his eyes to Fina's feet. In the left background an angel rings the death knell from a bell tower—of which San Gimignano had many. The illusionistic architectural setting makes the image appear a real extension of the church interior. The figures to either side of Fina's bed behave realistically—some are emotionally invested while others talk to one another or focus on their task at hand (such as the boy carrying the processional cross). This, coupled with the illusionistic setting, would have given the viewer the impression that he or she was attending an event actively taking place.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Rights:
Public domain
Subject
(See Also)
:
Architecture- Religious
Classical Influences
Death
Fina of San Gimignano
San Gimignano, Collegiata, Chapel Dedicated to Santa Fina- Two Frescoes, The Annunciation of Santa Fina's Death by Saint Gregory the Great and The Funeral of Santa Fina
Funeral
Geographic Area:
Italy
Century:
15
Date:
1475
Related Work:
The Annunciation of Santa Fina's Death by Saint Gregory the Great:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenico_Ghirlandaio_-_Announcement_of_Death_to_St_Fina_-_WGA08755.jpg
Current Location:
San Gimignano, Church of the Collegiata, Chapel of St. Fina
Original Location:
San Gimignano, Church of the Collegiata, Chapel of St. Fina
Artistic Type (Category):
Digital images; Paintings
Artistic Type (Material/Technique):
Frescoes
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm):
//
Inscription:
Related Resources: