The artwork “The Extraction of the Heart of St. Ignatius from the Altarpiece of St. Barnabas” is a religious painting completed by Sandro Botticelli in 1488. This Early Renaissance piece was created using tempera on a panel and measures 21 by 40.5 centimeters. Originally part of an altarpiece, the artwork is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, where it contributes to the rich tapestry of religious and artistic history.
The artwork depicts a dramatic and intense moment from hagiography: the extraction of the heart of St. Ignatius. The saint is shown prostrate, likely dead or in a trance, as two figures attend to him. One figure, standing over the saint, leans forward intently to perform the extraction with a delicate instrument, while the other, likely an ecclesiastical figure given his attire, watches the procedure closely, his hand raised in a gesture that signifies either instruction or blessing. The use of perspective, with the saint lying on a striped cloth and the dark, featureless background, focuses the viewer’s attention on the interaction between the figures and the significance of the act being performed. Botticelli’s craftsmanship ensures a blend of narrative detail and emotional intensity, characteristic of the Early Renaissance period’s exploration of human experience through religious narrative.
