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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

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Details
Title

Saint Lawrence Giving the Treasures of the Church to the Poor

Artist

Bernardo Strozzi (Italian, 1581-1644)

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

canvas

churches

martyrdom

oil paint

paintings

Saint Laurence

saints

Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Description

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.

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