Artwork
Het martelaarschap van Sint-Laurentius, met twee benedictinessen
Het martelaarschap van Sint-Laurentius, met twee benedictinessen is an unspecified painting by the High Renaissance artist Jacobello del Fiore. It dates from 1425 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The panel depicts the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, shown bound to a grill, while two kneeling Benedictine nuns pray beside him.
About this work
Overview
The panel depicts the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, shown bound to a grill, while two kneeling Benedictine nuns pray beside him. Executed in vivid hues and fine detailing, the work was likely intended as a private devotional image for the nuns, possibly members of Venice’s San Lorenzo convent.
Subject & Meaning
Saint Lawrence, a deacon celebrated for his charity, is presented at the moment of his execution, a motif that underscores steadfast faith amid suffering. The nuns’ supplicatory posture frames the scene as an intercessory prayer, inviting viewers to contemplate the saint’s sacrifice and the virtues of humility and devotion.
Technique & Style
The painting employs the International Gothic idiom that had recently arrived in Venice, characterized by elegant line work, bright pigments, and intricate drapery folds. Jacobello’s handling of light on the metal grill and the delicate rendering of the nuns’ garments reflect a synthesis of northern Italian training and local Venetian taste.
History & Provenance
Created by Jacobello, an itinerant artist who had worked in several minor Italian centers before settling in Venice, the work was likely commissioned directly by the two nuns for personal use. Its original location was probably a private altar within the convent of San Lorenzo, though the later chain of ownership remains undocumented.
Context
At the turn of the 15th century, Venice was absorbing artistic currents from the north, and Jacobello was among the first to introduce the luminous International Gothic style to the city. This painting exemplifies that early diffusion, bridging the decorative elegance of the Gothic with emerging Renaissance sensibilities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacobello del Fiore (c. 1370 – 1439) was a Venetian painter in the late fourteenth century and early fifteenth century. His early work is in the Late Gothic style popularized by Altichiero da Verona and Jacopo Avanzi,…
Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, with Two Benedictine Nuns
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