Care of the sick
The fresco by Domenico di Bartolo depicts a medieval hospital with doctors, friars, and nurses, detailing hospital life in 1378.
The fresco located in the fifth bay on the left, by Domenico di Bartolo, depicts a medieval hospital with doctors, friars and nurses, detailing hospital life in 1378.
The fresco located in the fifth bay on the left, by Domenico di Bartolo, depicts a medieval hospital with doctors, friars and nurses, detailing hospital life in 1378.
Care of the sick
It is without doubt one of the most famous frescoes among those painted on the walls of the pilgrims' ward, where the hand of Domenico di Bartolo indulges, with extraordinary attention and richness of detail, of Flemish descent, in a narration that is a faithful snapshot of the hospital setting. The scene takes place in a large longitudinal room, covered by a beam ceiling supported by corbels: almost in the center, above the keystone of the arch, the coats of arms of the Captain of the People, the Balzana, and that of Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli, rector of Santa Maria and later bishop of the city, stand out. This detail has made it possible to identify the environment with some certainty: it is the pilgrims' ward built in 1378, whose wooden ceiling was created during the rectorship of Carlo d'Angnolino. At the extreme right of the fresco we find two attendants, distinguished by age and by details of their clothing, carrying a catafalque on which rests a drape bearing the symbols of the Scala. Behind the attendants a dying man can be seen lying in bed with his head bandaged. An Augustinian friar, huge in build and bent over the sick man, is probably hearing a confession. The other central group shows in the foreground a man covered only by a loincloth, with a large bleeding wound on his right thigh; one foot is in a copper basin while the other is being dried by a hospital brother. Almost at the center of the scene there is a barber-surgeon; next to him is the rector. Below, an attendant is placing a person on a stretcher. The scene, in its extraordinary richness, offers a snapshot of the practice of medicine within the hospital.
Related Artworks
Discover other Artworks
The story of Sorore
The fresco in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicting the Story of Sorore, now hangs on the left above the side door that leads to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.
The fresco in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicting the Story of Sorore, now hangs on the left above the side door that leads to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.
The growth of walls
The fresco in the third bay of the pilgrims' hall shows a construction site associated with the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where some workers are engaged in the work.
The fresco in the third bay of the pilgrims' hall shows a construction site associated with the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where some workers are engaged in the work.
Agostino Novello hands the robe to the rector
The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio hall, in the fourth bay on the right, depicts the Blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the figures, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.
The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio hall, in the fourth bay on the right, depicts the Blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the figures, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.
The Pope grants the indulgence
The fresco in the fifth bay on the right, located in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicts Eugene IV handing a parchment to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Eastern and African figures can be seen.
The fresco in the fifth bay on the right, located in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicts Eugene IV handing a parchment to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Eastern and African figures can be seen.