Saint Dominic

This saintly friar comes from a large polyptych (a many-panelled altarpiece) which Crivelli painted in 1476 for the high altar of church of San Domenico at Ascoli Piceno in the Italian Marche. This is Saint Dominic himself, holding a white lily to symbolise his chastity and the book of his Rule – the code of practice for the religious order he founded.

The severity of his black and white robes – the uniform of Dominican Order – contrasts with the damask tooling of the burnished gold background. His face is a rare demonstration of Crivelli’s abilities as a portraitist. This is a highly individual face, with its long nose, deep-set eyes ringed with creases and wrinkles, and the line of an old scar running down his cheek. The figure is here in a double role: it is Saint Dominic and a portrait of the Blessed Constanzo di Meo di Servolo, the leading Dominican in the Marche and the commissioner of this altarpiece.