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Style of Ambrogio Bergognone, 'Saint Ambrose (?)', late 15th century

About the work

An elderly, bearded saint, wearing a bishop’s mitre and holding a book and a crosier, gazes directly, almost challengingly, out at us. We are not sure exactly who he is. He has traditionally been identified as Saint Ambrose, the fourth-century patron of Milan, but he lacks the saint’s traditional symbol of a scourge (a multi-tongued whip).

This panel is one of two in the National Gallery’s collection which probably came from the top level of a polyptych (a multi-panelled altarpiece); to judge from the perspective you are supposed to look up at it from below.

Key facts

Full title
Saint Ambrose (?)
Artist
Style of Ambrogio Bergognone
Artist dates
active 1481; died 1523?
Part of the series
Two Panels from an Altarpiece
Date made
late 15th century
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
110.5 × 41.9 cm
Acquisition credit
Layard Bequest, 1916
Inventory number
NG3081
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

About the series: Two Panels from an Altarpiece

Style of Ambrogio Bergognone, 'Saint Paul', late 15th century

Two small saints – Saint Paul, with a sword and book, and a bishop saint, perhaps Saint Ambrose, in richly coloured and gilded robes – stand against dark backgrounds. The angle at which they are shown makes it clear they were intended to be seen from below: both probably came from the top row of a polyptych (a multi-panelled altarpiece).

We do not know who the artist was, but the style of the panels links them to the work of two important north Italian painters of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries: Vincenzo Foppa and Ambrogio Bergognone. They must have been made by a less talented follower of these Lombard painters, probably in around 1480 to 1500.

Saint Paul
Saint Paul
Style of Ambrogio Bergognone
A bearded saint stands reading a book, his left hand resting on a sword, in this quietly contemplative picture. We know, from his dark hair and beard and from the objects he holds, that this is Saint Paul: the sword is the weapon with which he was martyred and the book represents his many writing...
Not on display
Saint Ambrose (?)
Saint Ambrose (?)
Style of Ambrogio Bergognone
An elderly, bearded saint, wearing a bishop’s mitre and holding a book and a crosier, gazes directly, almost challengingly, out at us. We are not sure exactly who he is. He has traditionally been identified as Saint Ambrose, the fourth-century patron of Milan, but he lacks the saint’s traditional...
Not on display

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Christ carrying the Cross
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