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St Verdiana (died 1222 or 1242), who was a lay recluse, is the patron saint of the town of Castelfiorentino outside Florence. She made a pilgrimage to Rome and on returning home entered a cell where she was molested by serpents, but where she remained until her death. She is generally represented in painting as a middle-aged nun with two snakes and a basket.
Formerly this painting was attributed to an anonymous Florentine painter referred to as the Master of Santo Spirito who was active towards the end of the fifteenth century and who was named after the three important altarpieces he executed for the church of Santo Spirito. The body of paintings and drawings ascribed to this master was later convincingly linked to the Florentine workshop of the brothers Agnolo and Donnino del Mazziere.
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