Saint Lawrence Giving the Treasures of the Church to the Poor
Bernardo Strozzi, Saint Lawrence Giving the Treasures of the Church to the Poor, 1635/1640, oil on canvas, Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation, public domain, 61.58
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Saint Lawrence Giving the Treasures of the Church to the Poor
- Artist
- Date
1635/1640
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
38 1/2 in x 52 3/4 in
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
Italian
- Credit Line
Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation
- Accession Number
61.58
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
This painting depicts an episode from the life of Saint Lawrence, a third-century martyr. During the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Valerian, Pope Sixtus ii was condemned to death. Rather than permit the treasures of the church to be confiscated, the Pope instructed his young archdeacon, Lawrence, to distribute them to the poor. Lawrence obeyed and was then himself put to death.
A native of Genoa, Bernardo Strozzi settled in Venice, where he became one of the city's leading artists. The isolation of the figures against the dark background had been popularized by Caravaggio in the early 1600s to focus the viewer's attention on the essential action.