St. Bartholomew and Blessed Ambrose Sansedoni offering the city of Siena to Our Lady

The little panels were originally part of one decorative complex, created to adorn the bier of the Compagnia del Beato Ambrogio Sansedoni. The paintings were made by Francesco Vanni in 1584, immediately after his return from Rome, where he did his artistic apprenticeship. Their high quality decreed the immediate fame of Vanni, who soon emerged as one of the most original and gifted painters of the last phase of Mannerism. In 1758 the bier was dismantled, and the four panels were acquired by the Chamberlain of the Company, Rutilio Sansedoni, a descendant of Blessed Ambrogio.

The scene on the reverse of The Resurrection of Lazarus shows Blessed Ambrogio Sansedoni in the presence of Clement VI as he intercedes with the Pope in the name of the people of Siena, who were under papal interdiction. For this reason, in this scene’s companione piece, Blessed Ambrogio appears before the Virgin and Child, holding a model of the city, an attribute that manifests and underlines the role of Ambrogio Sansedoni as a protector of the city of Siena.