ANDREA DEL SARTO
(b. 1486, Firenze, d. 1530, Firenze)

The Sermon of John the Baptist

1515
Fresco
Chiostro dello Scalzo, Florence

For the Florentine Compagnia dello Scalzo, Andrea del Sarto frescoed the atrium of the brotherhood's chapel. The artist worked on it from 1509 to 1526, with interruptions. A frieze depicts the life of John the Baptist, the patron saint of the brotherhood. Sarto executed the entire decoration in grisaille. This did not just save the brotherhood money, the renunciation of colour also express the rigor and humility of its communal ideal.