Saint Clare

Lippo Memmi's image of Saint Clare, painted around 1330, depicts the foundress of the Poor Clares, the female branch of the Franciscan order. Clare of Assisi, canonized in 1255, was one of the most venerated female saints of the Gothic era, and her image was especially prominent in Franciscan and Clarissan church commissions. Lippo's depiction reflects the refined spiritual aesthetic that he shared with his brother-in-law Simone Martini, suited to conveying Clare's aristocratic sanctity.

Tempera and gold on panel, with the saint shown holding her traditional attribute against a burnished gold ground. Lippo Memmi's refined line and delicate facial modeling create a figure of gentle authority, with the Franciscan habit rendered in subtle tonal gradations.