This picture was painted for the Olivetan convent of Saint Michael in Signorelli's native city of Cortona. Signorelli clearly designed the altarpiece, and he must also have painted the Virgin and Saint Benedict as well as the vanquished figure of Satan, which are executed with great vigor. The altarpiece seems to date from the late 1480s. Much of the picture is abraded. The figures of angels have especially suffered, but the Virgin and Saint Benedict are relatively well preserved. The frame, partly resurfaced, is of the sixteenth century.

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