Saint Bartholomew
Artist
Gonçal Peris
(Spanish, active about 1404, died 1451)
Datelate 1430s
Mediumegg tempera and gold leaf on panel
Dimensionsoverall: 178.3 x 89.5 cm (70 3/16 x 35 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1919.315
Label Text2/24/2016:
Bartholomew is mentioned in the Bible as one of Christ's twelve disciples, but stories about his later life spreading Christianity throughout the Middle East, India, and Armenia derive from later ancient and medieval texts. This painting refers to those later legends, in which Bartholomew triumphed over a demon through the power of his faith but was eventually beheaded. The knife and punchwork in the background derive from Islamic designs, familiar to Spanish artists because of the proximity of the Moors, Muslims living in Southern Spain. This work was originally the center of a larger retablo, a group of paintings or sculptures of religious subjects that stood behind an altar.ProvenanceEhrich Galleries, New York, NY, by 1919; purchased by the Worcester Art Museum, 1919.On View
On viewCollections
