Image Details

Scala/Art Resource, New York, N.Y.

Praying in her bath, the haloed Susanna seems protected not only by her sanctity but also by the thick hedge separating her from the two elders on the left. This fresco in Siena by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1502) is an example of interpretations that emphasize Susanna’s innocence. The painter Martini, an architect and sculptor as well, uses background building details to create a frame for Susanna and to point attention toward the conspirators.