Desiderio da Settignano, Tabernacle of the Sacramento, south aisle
The Annunciation by Fra Filippo Lippi:
The large mannerist fresco of the Martyrdom of St Lawrence is by Bronzino. According to legend, St Lawrence, who was one of the deacons of Rome, was roasted alive on a gridiron in 258 AD.
Many historians believe a simple spelling mistake led to the belief that St Lawrence (San Lorenzo) was roasted rather than decapitated, as was the normal punishment used against others during the same persecution. However, the legend is well established and the gridiron is generally used as the symbol of St Lawrence.
This is one of the last works of Bronzino. On the left of the fresco, beneath the statue of Mercury, Bronzino painted a self-portrait together with two portraits of his master, Pontormo, and his pupil, Alessandro Allori.
The video below is of the chapel just to the left of the Old Sacristy.
get back, lauretta! 