Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Saint Agatha Attended by Saint Peter and an Angel in Prison
(Baroque Europe )
According to an early Christian legend, when a 3rd-century Roman official of Sicily desired the Christian woman Agatha, and she refused to yield to his advances, he had her tortured, and even ordered her breasts cut off. At night in prison, she was visited by a vision of Saint Peter and an angel, and her breasts were miraculously restored.
The gray stone of the prison wall was created by letting the slate show through, and it forms a background for the night scene, illuminated by a torch. As opposed to canvas and wood, slate gave a painting almost unlimited durability and the same kind of permanence as sculpture.
For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 315, pp. 443-444.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Hood Blackwood, England, mid 18th century [mode of acquisition unknown]; Ann Blackwood Madox (Mrs. E. Madox), England, late 18th century, by gift; Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1909 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1999 | Alessandro Turchi : detto l'Orbetto 1578-1649. Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona. |
| 1995-1996 | Going for Baroque. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1/1900 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 3/9/1943 | Treatment | varnish removed or reduced |
| 3/18/1986 | Treatment | inpainted |
| 1/24/1999 | Examination | examined for loan |
Geographies
Italy, Rome
(Place of Origin)
Italy, Verona (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted Surface H: 13 7/8 × W: 19 1/2 × D: 3/8 in. (35.24 × 49.53 × 0.95 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, before 1909
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.552