San Barnaba Altarpiece (c. 1488)

The Guild of Doctors and Apothecaries (a very important organization in Florence) commissioned from Botticelli this very grand altarpiece for the church of San Barnaba of which the Guild was the patron. The painting shows the Madonna enthroned with St Catherine of Alexandria, St Augustine, St Barnabas, St John the Baptist, St Ignatius and St Michael.

Only four of the original seven small panel paintings of the altar's predella still remain, these depict scenes from the lives of the saints in the main altar painting, the probable centre was the panel showing a scene of Christ's Passion.

The poor state of preservation of the painting is the result of attempts at restoring and overpainting in the early 18th century. It was also enlarged and only in 1930 was it restored to its original size.