Saint Louis of Toulouse crowns Robert of Anjou

Simone Martini's 1317 altarpiece was commissioned by Robert of Anjou himself to legitimize his claim to the Neapolitan throne through his recently canonized brother, Saint Louis of Toulouse. The painting served as both a devotional image and a political document, depicting Louis renouncing his royal crown to take Franciscan vows while simultaneously crowning Robert as king. It is one of the earliest examples of a painted royal propaganda piece in the Gothic era and a masterwork of the Sienese school.

Executed in tempera and gold leaf on panel, the work features an elaborate tooled gold ground with punched decorative patterns. The figures display Martini's characteristically sinuous Gothic line, with Louis's episcopal vestments rendered in rich ultramarine and gold fleur-de-lis, while the predella scenes use a more naturalistic spatial arrangement.