An anatomical interpretation of Pesellino’s Miracle of St. Anthony of Padua

Background: The research takes inspiration from field trips at the Uffizi Gallery organized by the Department of Medicine of the University of Florence, in which professors encourage students to discuss medical aspects of artworks, and the participation of an art historian fosters interdisciplinary dialogue. Methods: The research started with the historical contextualisation and stylistic and iconograph-ic analysis of the painting. Then, it dealt with the evaluation of Renaissance medical sources and the bibliography about the painting. Lastly, it compared the painting with contemporary texts and images. Results: The research evidenced that Pesellino meant to represent an anatomy lesson as it used to be carried out in Medieval universities, under the guise of a miracle of saint Anthony of Padua. Conclusions: The paper could contribute to the investigation of anatomical knowledge of artists and iconographic documentation of medical practice in the fifteenth century.