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Il martirio di Santa Martina Siena
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Artist: Pietro da Cortona
Year: Tra il 1655 e 1656.
Current location: Basilica e convento di San Francesco
Original location: Basilica e convento di San Francesco
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION
Oil on canvas, 363 x 228 cm.
Pietro da Cortona had a very strong devotional relationship with Saint Martina due to an event he personally experienced that profoundly influenced his faith and his subsequent artistic production.
In fact, on October 25, 1634, during excavation work for the reconstruction of the Church of Saints Luke and Martina in Rome, the artist personally discovered the saint's relics.
The Siena painting belongs to the final phase of the master's career, a period characterized by a skillful, dramatic handling of sacred scenes and an extraordinary richness of color.
The painting depicts the moment of the Roman noblewoman's martyrdom before pagan authorities, and in it, the saint occupies a dynamic central position, surrounded by tormentors and classical figures.
The work fully expresses the style of the Roman Baroque, with a marked theatricality, sharp chiaroscuro contrasts to highlight the sanctity of the protagonist and a close interaction between the characters that guides the viewer's eye in exploring the canvas.
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