Saint Paul and Saint Andrew: pinnacles from an altarpiece

Active in Pisa, Francesco di Neri's was strongly influenced by Simone Martini and his Pisan followers, including Tadeo Gaddi. His earliest recorded picture (now lost) was executed in 1343 for the Church of San Michele in Borgo, Pisa. In the 1360s and 1370s, the style of the artist became less graphic than in his early work and is characterized by greater volume in the drapery and a strong chiaroscuro in the depiction of the faces. The present pictures probably date from this period and can be compared with four Busts of Prophets by the artist, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (see L. Bellosi, Buffalmacco e il Trionfo della Morte, Turin, 1974, pls. 214-5). The leading role that Francesco di Neri played in Pisa is illustrated by his stylistic influence on his compatriots, for example, Jacopo di Michele and Cecco di Pietro. Roberto Longhi was the first art historian this century to recognize the high quality of Francesco di Neri's work (Frammento siciliano, Paragone, IV, 1953, pp. 7-8).

We are grateful to Professor Miklós Boskovits for suggesting the attribution.