Il Vecchietta, Francesco di Giorgio, Benvenuto di Giovanni e la pala dell'oratorio "di sopra" della confraternita di Santa Maria degli Angeli e San Francesco a Siena

The present article proposes a new theory regarding the provenance of the dismembered altarpiece comprising the 'Franciscan' predella painted around 1460-1461 by Vecchietta, Francesco di Giorgio and Benvenuto di Giovanni. In particular, it is suggested that the altarpiece was originally intended to decorate the altar of the 'upper' oratory of the confraternity of Santa Maria degli Angeli e San Francesco in Siena, later dedicated to Saint Bernardino. The creation of the predella can be dated to a crucial time in the history of the confraternity, during which – thanks to the intervention of illustrious members of the Piccolomini family and the stimulus provided by the presence of Pope Pius II in Siena – the building of the confraternity's hospital and, above all, the raising of its chapel (which took on the two-storey structure characterizing it to this day) were finally completed. These developments formed the backdrop for the gradual consolidation of the cult of Saint Bernardino within the brotherhood: this new devotion, in fact, might explain why the members felt the need to order a new altarpiece bearing a representation of the observant friar.