The Temptation of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino

The picture depicts a scene from the life of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino (c. 1245-1305). Called Nicola di Compagnone in his lifetime, the saint was born in Sant'Angelo in Pontano; he was named Nicholas in honour of the saint of Myra and Bari, to whom his parents had prayed for a child. His attribute is a star, which was brought to him by an angel while he was in prayer before an altar; from then on, the star would appear and guide him to the church in Tolentino where he prayed. That golden star is visible on the breast of the saint's habit in the present picture, which illustrates a moment in the saint's life when a group of fiends harrass him as he prays, unsuccessfully attempting to distract him from his devotions.

An attribution to Beccafumi was proposed by Berenson, but discounted by Sanminiatelli, who believed it belonged to a different artist of the Sienese School.