Saint Engracia
painter
Bartolomé Bermejo
(Cordova, about 1436 - about 1498)
Dateabout 1474
Place MadeDaroca, Aragon, Spain, Europe
MediumOil on pine panel
Dimensions164 x 73 cm (64 9/16 x 28 3/4 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberP19e25
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryRichly dressed in gold brocade and with a cloak trimmed in ermine, Saint Engracia stands before a throne. Engracia was thought to be a fourth-century Portuguese princess who was brutally tortured by the Roman proconsul of the city of Zaragoza. The cult of Engracia became especially popular in Aragon. Bermejo depicts the saint wearing a crown and holding a nail, one of the instruments of her torture; in her other hand is the palm frond which signifies a martyr saint.
This painting was the central panel of an altarpiece. The surrounding works illustrated episodes from the life of Engracia (now in San Diego, Bilbao, and Daroca). The altarpiece was commissioned by Juana García, the wife of notary Juan Fernández Fiero, for a chapel in the church of San Pedro in Daroca. Bermejo was profoundly influenced by the oil paint technique of Netherlandish painting, which he in turn was instrumental in transmitting to other Spanish artists.
Id717331
Last Updated8/9/24
EmbARK ObjectID12960
Source ID2000
