Saint Mary of Egypt

The small panel depicts Mary of Egypt meditating in the desert of Palestine, dressed only with her long hair; in the background, Jerusalem and the Jordan. The elements linked to the Nordic figurative culture are evident in the extraordinary executive refinement and in the typology of the saint, with delicate features and a very high rounded forehead. It may recall certain female models painted by Rogier van der Weyden around 1450, close to his documented stay in Italy. The landscape, on the other hand, in its luminosity and perspective coherence, is absolutely Italian (or rather Tuscan) and shows points of contact with the youthful production of Piero della Francesca, visible in particular in the stream in which the trunks of the trees and the city walls are reflected. The stratigraphic analysis carried out during the restoration revealed that the Veronese panel was made with a mixed technique, alternating the traditional tempera binders with oleo-resinous colors, on a preparation consisting of a layer of calcium carbonate, glue and drying oil – very rare in Italian painting and common in German and Flemish workshops.