CECCO DI PIETRO | SAINT PETER; SAINT SIMON

These elegant, full-length saints are rare examples of the work of Cecco di Pietro, the foremost painter in Pisa in the late 14th century. Saints Peter and Simon would likely have formed part of a larger altarpiece complex flanking a central panel, along with the panels in the following lot, depicting Saint Rainerius and a bishop saint. Saint Rainerius is the patron saint of Pisa and is shown here as a young pilgrim in his characteristic hair shirt. 

The facial types of these figures, with their knitted brows and heavy lower eyelids are typical of the artist's style, recalling the physiognomy of the saints by Cecco di Pietro in the Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon (inv. nos. MI 398-401). The details surrounding Cecco di Pietro's artistic development are unclear, though we do know he assisted in the restoration of frescoes in Pisa's Camposanto in 1370 and it can be assumed he was a young man when first documented in that city in 1364.