Plague in the city: identifying the subject of G iovanni di P aolo's V ienna Miracle of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino

• Published in: Renaissance studies Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 654 - 680
• Main Author: Marshall, Louise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.2013
• ISSN: 0269-1213; 1477-4658
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1477-4658.2012.00846.x

This article aims to resolve scholarly confusion regarding the subject of a panel by S ienese artist G iovanni di P aolo now in V ienna ( A kademie der bildenden K unst). The picture shows a posthumous miracle of the recently canonized Augustinian friar and famous miracle worker N icholas of T olentino (d. 1305, canonized 1446), who is shown hovering in the sky above a city. Despite agreement on the reconstruction of the original altarpiece to which this narrative once belonged, art historians remain divided over the identity of the represented miracle. My study re‐examines the visual data to refute the most common readings of the panel as a resurrection and argues for acceptance of B ernard B erenson's original identification of the scene as N icholas saving a town from plague.