Head of a Saint

This Head of a Saint, attributed to the painter Augustinus and preserved in the Pinacoteca Civica di Forlì, is a fragment from what was likely a larger altarpiece or fresco cycle in the Romagna region. The isolated head format suggests the panel was cut from a multi-figure composition at some point in its history, a common fate for medieval altarpieces dismembered during later centuries. The Romagnol school of painting in the fourteenth century occupied a crossroads between Bolognese, Venetian, and Florentine artistic influences.

Painted in tempera on panel, this fragmentary head displays the solid modeling and expressive characterization typical of Romagnol Gothic painting. The surviving portion reveals careful attention to facial structure and flesh tones, suggesting a painter of considerable skill working within the regional tradition.