The Martyrs Cecilia, Valerian and Tiburtius
Technical Details
-
Title
The Martyrs Cecilia, Valerian and Tiburtius -
Author
Orazio Gentileschi -
Year
1606 - 7 -
Dimensions
cm 350 x 218 -
Inventory
107 -
Room
XXIX
This painting, signed on the base of the organ, is one of the most Caravaggesque works by this artist who met and associated with Caravaggio in Rome and who also saw the Death of the Virgin now in the Louvre, a composition which he echoes here in the large red curtain. The scene shows an angel appearing to Cecilia and her husband Valerian, a convert to Christianity, bearing a wreath of flowers symbolising marriage but also a palm alluding to martyrdom. The groom’s brother Tiburtius looks on.
