Saint Alexander

This early work by Fra Angelico dates about 1425 and formed part of the decoration of the frame of an altarpiece still in the church of San Domenico, Fiesole, where the artist was a friar until 1436. The altarpiece was modernized in 1501, and parts of its frame were sold in the nineteenth century. The elegant figure type and delicate modeling owe much to the example of Ghiberti, the author of the famous baptistery doors in Florence.