Fragment of a sarcophagus with Saint Ambrose

Hall 6 of the
Museum holds materials of various origins, dating between the 12th and 14th
centuries, all of which bear significant witness to the identity and history of
Milan in the late Middle Ages. This is why the figure of St. Ambrose often
appears in this room, charismatic archbishop of Milan from 374 to 397, soon to
become the patron and protector of the city, as in this fragment of a
sarcophagus of unknown provenance.
In this sculpture, made around 1380 - 1390 by a sculptor close
to Bonino da Campione, the saint is portrayed with a mitre on his head, a book
in his left hand referencing his activity as theologian and a stirrup strap in
his right hand. The
stirrup strap would be consolidated from the fourteenth century in the
iconography of Saint Ambrose and alluded to the battle led by the archbishop
against the Arian heretics and to the protection he offered the city of Milan
and the Visconti.