Saint Agatha, Francesco di Girolamo da Santacroce (Venice, 1516 -1584)

Francis of Girolamo da Santacroce
(Venice, 1516 -1584)

Saint Agatha

Oil painting on canvas

126 x 68 cm. – In frame 137 x 80 cm.

The painting depicts Saint Agatha (also available as a pendant with Saint Roch), one of the most venerated martyrs in Christian tradition, in a work attributable to the hand of Francesco da Santacroce (1516–1584), a leading exponent of a dynasty of painters who took their name from their town of origin, near Bergamo, and migrated to Venice starting from the end of the fifteenth century.

The workshop, founded by his father Girolamo, operated successfully in the lagoon area, where it mainly produced devotional works, altarpieces and polyptychs, standing out for its extraordinary ability to assimilate and replicate the style of the great Renaissance masters.

In particular, their paintings combine the warm chromatic application, golden light, and soft facial features typical of Giovanni Bellini, whose father and Francesco were both students and collaborators. This is combined with the rigorous yet gentle compositional geometries drawn from Cima da Conegliano and the ample volumes and atmospheric softness of Palma Vecchio and Lorenzo Lotto.

A distinctive feature of their work, which we find in the portrait presented here and which made them highly sought-after even at the time, is their inspiration from the models of great Venetian painting, but always presented in a simplified and accessible language. The figure of our Saint Agatha is indeed rather static, composed, and monumental, yet retains the fifteenth-century devotional grace that was so popular with more traditional clients. The drapes of her robes, particularly the large, deep red cloak that envelops her body, are heavy, crisp, and clearly defined, designed to give the sitter a strong physical presence.

The work is structured according to precise iconographic and stylistic choices, featuring the Saint portrayed full-length, in a solemn, frontal pose, again inspired by Venetian Renaissance models. The young woman displays a sweet and hieratic expression, her gaze slightly turned to the side, and her head crowned by a delicate, thin golden halo.

The Saint is depicted according to her classic iconography, holding in her hand, like a queen's scepter, the instrument of her martyrdom: a long, dark metal pincer grasping one of her severed breasts, which have become her canonical descriptive attributes. As is typical in painting, there is no trace of pain, but she is immortalized in a moment of pure contemplation and grace.

A typical element of their style, inherited from Bellini's teachings, is also the positioning of the sacred figures in front of a sort of parapet that divides the scene, beyond which opens a golden sky with warm, crepuscular tones, enriched by soft white and grey cloud formations that give the painting an atmospheric feel.

The Santacroce family organized their workshop as a fully fledged business, catering to a medium- to high-end clientele seeking Venetian quality at competitive prices. For this reason, their production—which especially included Sacred Conversations with figures of Saints—was massive and destined primarily for churches in the Veneto and Bergamo provinces. It is therefore presumed that our work was originally a single panel of a more complex altarpiece with multiple panels, which over time was divided and dispersed among various museums or collections.

Francesco da Santacroce, always under the tutelage of the workshop and often with the collaboration of his father Girolamo (with whom he is often confused), devoted much of his work to this type of work, complex altarpieces populated by numerous patron saints. Examples include the 'Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Clare, and Saint Roch' (image 1) from the Carrara Academy in Bergamo, or the 'Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Mary Magdalene, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria' (image 2) and the 'Holy Family with Saint Jerome' (image 3), both from the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe, Germany.

(imm.1) https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/41863/
(imm.2) https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/41851/
(imm.3) https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/41858/

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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