Madonna col Bambino, sant'Anna e quattro santi

Pontormo painted this altarpiece for a monastery just outside Florence's western gate, dedicated to Saint Anne, which is why she sits enthroned at the centre holding her daughter Mary and the Christ Child. Saint Anne's feast day meant something particular to Florentines. On that day in 1343 the city had driven out a foreign strongman, Walter of Brienne, the so-called Duke of Athens, whom they had briefly made lord and quickly came to hate. For years the anniversary was marked by a civic procession, and Pontormo tucked one into the picture. At the foot of the throne a little painted medallion shows marchers and an infantry captain, the man who commissioned the work. Around them stand Sebastian, Peter, the Good Thief, and Saint Benedict.