Artwork
Cyriakus-Folge: Tod des hl. Cyriakus
Cyriakus-Folge: Tod des hl. Cyriakus is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder. It dates from 1532 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder created the painting *Cyriakus‑Folge: Tod des hl. Cyriacus* in 1532. Executed during the German Renaissance, the work belongs to a series that narrates episodes from the life of Saint Cyriacus. It is presently housed in the Alte Pinakothek and exemplifies the artist’s reputation for religious compositions and portraiture in Cologne.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas captures the moment of Saint Cyriacus’s death. A kneeling figure in a white robe and orange vest, haloed, appears to pray or plead, while a group of onlookers in elaborate dress gathers nearby. Central to the scene, a man raises a sword, suggesting imminent violence, thereby emphasizing the martyr’s final sacrifice.
Technique & Style
Bruyn employs the elongated proportions and sophisticated arrangement typical of Mannerist aesthetics. A pronounced chiaroscuro model gives depth to the foreground figures, contrasting with a tranquil landscape of rolling hills, trees and a cloudy sky in the background. The interplay of light and shadow heightens the dramatic tension.
History & Provenance
Painted in Cologne, the work formed part of a larger narrative cycle commissioned for devotional purposes. Over the centuries it entered various collections before being acquired by the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s German Renaissance holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bartholomäus Bruyn (1493–1555), usually called Barthel Bruyn or Barthel Bruyn the Elder, was a German Renaissance painter active in Cologne. He painted altarpieces and portraits, and was Cologne's foremost portrait painter of his day.
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man
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Portrait of Elisabeth Bellinghausen
Portrait of a Man and His Three Sons
Portrait of a Lady and Her Daughter
Rinck-Altar II:Saint Catherine with donor Hermann Rinck
Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi
The martyrdom of Saint Cyriacus
Christ on the road to Calvary
Martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian with their Three Brothers, part of an altarpiece
The Crown of Thorns
St. Sebastian Altar: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian
The Death of Saint Peter Martyr
The Decapitation of Saint Denis
The Martyrdom of Saint James the Major
Flagellation of Christ
Kaisheimer Altar: Geißelung Christi