ANTONINE PIEROZZI, SAINT

(1389-1459)

   Dominican monk, appointed archbishop of Florence by Pope Eugenius IV in 1446, canonized in 1523. St. Antonine was responsible for convincing Cosimo de' Medici to expel the Sylvestrine monks from the San Marco Monastery, Florence, and to turn it over to the Dominicans. St. Antonine was appointed the prior of San Marco and, aside from effecting religious reforms while occupying that position, he also acted as patron to Fra Angelico. Part III of his Summa Theologica includes advice to painters on the depiction of religious scenes. Elements that provoke sexual desire, vanity, or laughter, he wrote, should be eliminated from these types of works, as should any apocryphal details, such as midwives in the Nativity. Instead, artists should follow the scriptures. These prescriptions influenced the development of art in Florence and reflect St. Antonine's ascetic monasticism.