Italian school (XVII) - Sant'Agnese

Italian school; 18th century.

“Saint Agnes”.

Oil on canvas. Relined.
Framed, circa 1800.
Dimensions: 92 x 76 cm; 108 x 92 cm (with frame).
A devotional image framed within the Italian school, with a sober and perfectly balanced composition and a monumental, sculptural figure with an idealized face and a sweet, mystical expression. The light reflects an understanding of contemporary tenebrism: a focused light enters the painting from the upper left corner and falls directly on the main areas of the image, leaving the rest enveloped in a soft shadow and at the same time contributing to the construction of volumes and spaces. It depicts Saint Agnes, half-length, tenderly holding a lamb.

The name of Saint Agnes derives from the Greek adjective "agné", meaning pure, chaste. On the other hand, the Romans linked it to the Latin noun "agnus" (lamb), although there is no etymological connection. The legend of the saint originates from this popular etymology. It was believed that such a name could be a symbol (virgo casta) rather than a real person, especially because the historical existence of Saint Agnes is doubtful. Initially, there were two distinct traditions referring to two martyrs with the same name, which later became confused. According to Saint Ambrose and Pope Damasus, Agnes was a girl martyred at the age of twelve, beheaded. Her martyrdom would have occurred around 305, during Diocletian’s persecutions. The different Greek tradition concerns an adult virgin. According to Basil’s Menologion, Agnes refused to offer sacrifices to the gods. The two traditions, Latin and Greek, soon merged and were enriched with new legendary elements, such as the miracle of hair and cloak, popularized by the Golden Legend. The son of a prefect fell in love with her, but Agnes rejected him and the suitor fell ill from grief. Her father, the prefect, summoned her to court and, unable to compel her to marry his son, placed before her the choice between a sacrifice to the gods and dishonor. Led naked into a brothel, her hair grew instantly, covering her body. As if that tangle weren’t enough, an angel wrapped her in a white mantle. She is the first saint to have received an attribute (6th century). Her principal iconographic symbol is the white lamb, a symbol of her purity. The lamb is not only a nod to her name, but also recalls the vision had by her parents, who eight days after her death would have seen their daughter appear with a lamb to her right. She is also recognizable by the blazing bonfire whose flames recede without even touching her, by the sword, instrument of torture, and by the palm of martyrdom.