Saint Dominic Resuscitating Napoleone Orsini

Bartolomeo degli Erri and his brother Agnolo were the key artistic personalities in Modena (north of Bologna) during the second half of the fifteenth century, painting three altarpieces for the church of San Domenico. This picture is from the base (predella) of the main altarpiece and shows Saint Dominic resuscitating Napoleone Orsini, who had been killed in a fall from his horse. In the background, the saint presents the revived young man to his astonished uncle, Cardinal Stefano di Fossa Nova. The episode was vividly described in the writings of Cecilia Cesarini, a Dominican nun who knew Saint Dominic and whose recollections provide a valuable perspective on his life and miracles.