“Saint Augustine in his study” by Sandro Botticelli at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) “Saint Augustine in his study”

Painting - Tempera on Wood (41 x 27 cm) 1490-1500

Botticelli depicted Saint Augustine seated at his desk, writing in the study of his cell.

A cell whose architecture is worthy of a palace or a church.

Sandro Botticelli, Saint Augustine in his Study, 1490–1500, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

Saint Augustine Saint Augustine is depicted in a niche, which is small in size but set beneath a beautiful vaulted ceiling, surrounded on either side by bas-relief medallions depicting male heads surrounded by plant motifs.

Above Augustine's head, in the arch of his cell's vault, is another bas-relief showing the Virgin and Child.

Botticelli contrasts the somewhat austere grey-blue of the saint's cell with the olive and pale orange curtain held back on the left side of the painting.

The books with ochre-red leather covers, placed haphazardly on the shelves behind the curtain, also contrast with the dark grey of this part of the cell, which is obscured by the curtain.

Added to these colour contrasts are those of the saint's clothes and golden halo.

Augustine's carefully woven orange-red tunic warms the atmosphere of the scene, while the folds of its fabric allow Botticelli to play with light and shadow, thus giving this rather austere scene a touch of colour and life.

Saint Augustine Botticelli perfectly captures Augustine's state of mind, which is at once focused, hesitant, and pensive.

The saint's right hand is nervous and active, while his face shows hesitation, a hesitation confirmed by the numerous scraps of paper scribbled on and torn up that are scattered on the floor.

We sense that St Augustine's task is difficult: he is searching for the words that will best express his thoughts.

Despite this, he is calm and serene, and his face expresses an inner beauty beautifully represented by Botticelli.

Saint Augustine