The Death of Saint Anthony

Master of the Osservanza (Sano di Pietro?)

National Gallery of Art

Sixteen men and boys stand around a man lying on a bed, Saint Anthony, in this square painting. A seventeenth mourner kneels on our side of the bed and faces Saint Anthony. Some of the onlookers have their hair cut into rings around their heads, and others’ heads are covered by hoods. They all have pale skin tinged with green, and they wear robes in shades of black, smoky purple, brown, or cream white. A man at the foot of the bed wears a sky-blue robe edged with golden orange down the front as he reads from an open book. Two boys to the left wear white and black and hold tall candles, and a third man, wearing black, holds a cross on a high staff. Others hold candlesticks, walking sticks, books, or stand with hands clasped. Saint Anthony has a long white beard and wears a black hood and muted pink and black robe. One hand rests by his side, and the other rests on his chest. His eyes are closed, and his head is surrounded by a gold and red halo. The bed is draped with a vivid crimson-red cloth. The walls of the room are parchment white striped with mauve pink and black on the upper half. Arched windows and doorways open onto rooms and a courtyard with trees beyond this space. The floor is rose pink.