Christ in a Mandorla, with the instruments of the Passion, with St. Stephen and St. Lawrence below

This panel by Berlinghiero Berlinghieri, painted around 1230, depicts Christ in a mandorla displaying the instruments of the Passion, with Saints Stephen and Lawrence below. The combination of the triumphant Christ with Passion symbols and early Christian martyrs creates a complex theological program linking sacrifice and redemption. As part of the Berlinghieri workshop's prolific output for Tuscan churches, this work demonstrates how Italian panel painting served sophisticated devotional and doctrinal purposes in the early Gothic period.

Executed in tempera and gold on wood panel, the composition is organized vertically with the mandorla framing Christ above the two standing saints. Berlinghiero's characteristic firm contours, patterned drapery derived from Byzantine models, and luminous gold ground create a visually unified devotional image.