Lorenzo di Pietro called “il Vecchietta”
St Paul, before 1460, polychrome
This is a worn, yet extremely inspired figure in polychrome wood which was carved by Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta. With some variations, this work from Castelfiorentino is a replica of a marble sculpture of the same subject made by artist between 1458 and 1462 for a niche in the Loggia della mercanzia in Siena. It was precisely in that period that the artists language turned towards a more intense spirituality, which is certainly related to the influence that Donatello exerted on him during his second stay in Siena between 1457 and 1459.
