Description
Saint Ladislaus, King of Hungary, stands frontally before an elaborately patterned gold ground. He wears a crown and richly coloured robes, and carries a long staff interpreted as the handle of an axe, the weapon associated with the royal saint. A Latin inscription identifies him.
This small panel is attributed to Simone Martini and preserved in Altomonte’s civic museum. Usually dated around 1326–1328, it may have been commissioned by Filippo Sangineto, a nobleman connected with the Angevin court in Naples. Its possible origin as part of a diptych remains a scholarly hypothesis rather than an established fact. The sanctity of a king carried special meaning in lands connected with the dynasties of central and southern Europe. Ladislaus is not shown winning a particular battle. He appears as an exemplary ruler whose authority is inseparable from Christian faith.






