The Blessed Andrea Gallerani

Andrea Vanni’s long life, remarkable by the standards of his time, saw him become both a painter and a politician of note. He was a prominent member of the political elite called the ‘Riformati’ which held power in Siena from 1368-85, and during this time he created many altarpieces and frescos for the city’s churches. His political career culminated with his appointment as the Capitano del Popolo, the leader of Siena’s civic militia. His artistic work responds earnestly to that of previous generations of Sienese tradition. Though he travelled as a diplomat to artistic centres in Rome, Naples and the papal court at Avignon, the Sienese painters Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers remained the primary influences for his work. He may also have been associated with Bartolo di Fredi, with whom he may have worked as an assistant. Vanni was a correspondent and friend of Saint Catherine of Siena, and, rather extraordinarily, he is credited with painting two portraits of her.

The Blessed Andrea Gallerani (d. 19 March 1251) was a soldier and nobleman before being exiled from Siena after he murdered a blaspheming man. While in exile, he was called to lead a life of penance and later founded the Confraternity of the Misericordia, the oratory of which still stands in Siena. He is buried in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena and was beatified by Pope Pius VI in 1798. Though he has not been canonised, he was venerated as a saint in Siena. The halo in this painting, the delicate punchwork of which reveals the influence of Simone on Vanni’s work, is indicative of the esteem in which the Blessed Andrea Gallerani was held even before his beatification.