Healing of St. Agatha of Sicily

Guido Reni, Circle of Guido Reni

Basic information

ID: Ж-2519
Author: Guido Reni Circle of Guido Reni
Name: Healing of St. Agatha of Sicily
Technique: oil painting
Material: copper oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 32.3 x 33.7

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: religious
Plot: Healing of St. Agatha of Sicily
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Guido Reni
Artist's lifetime: 1575–1642
Country: Italy
Biography: Guido Reni was an Italian Baroque artist. He was born on November 4, 1575, in Bologna, Italy. At the age of 9, he was already studying in the Bolognese studio of the Dutch painter Denis Calvaert. Reni lived in Rome and Naples during his education but later returned to his hometown of Bologna. The artist is best known for his commissioned frescoes in chapels and oil paintings of biblical and mythological scenes. In his works, Reni employed vivid tones and smooth, idealised forms. For a time, the artist was influenced by the Caravaggesque painting style, as seen in his work "The Crucifixion of St. Peter" (1603, Pinacoteca, Vatican). However, Raphael and antiquity were the primary inspirations for his refined classical style, evident in his most famous work, "The Aurora" (1614, Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome) – a breathtakingly beautiful fresco on the ceiling created for Cardinal Borghese. Reni passed away on August 18, 1642, in Bologna, Italy. Today, the artist's works are kept in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), the Louvre (Paris), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the National Gallery (London).

Information about author

Author: Circle of Guido Reni
Country: Italy
Biography: Guido Reni was an Italian Baroque artist. He was born on November 4, 1575, in Bologna, Italy. At the age of 9, he was already studying in the Bolognese studio of the Dutch painter Denis Calvaert. Reni lived in Rome and Naples during his education but later returned to his hometown of Bologna. The artist is best known for his commissioned frescoes in chapels and oil paintings of biblical and mythological scenes. In his works, Reni employed vivid tones and smooth, idealised forms. For a time, the artist was influenced by the Caravaggesque painting style, as seen in his work "The Crucifixion of St. Peter" (1603, Pinacoteca, Vatican). However, Raphael and antiquity were the primary inspirations for his refined classical style, evident in his most famous work, "The Aurora" (1614, Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, Rome) – a breathtakingly beautiful fresco on the ceiling created for Cardinal Borghese. Reni passed away on August 18, 1642, in Bologna, Italy. Today, the artist's works are kept in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), the Louvre (Paris), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the National Gallery (London).

Object description

The Holy Martyr Agatha of Sicily (c. 230 – c. 250) is one of the six most honoured early Christian virgins who was executed for her resolute confession of faith. Agatha was tortured into denouncing Jesus Christ by being burned with torches, torn apart with iron hooks, and her breasts torn off with pliers. They wanted to burn the unconquered girl at the stake, but an earthquake prevented this. She was then thrown into prison, where the Apostle Peter, accompanied by an angel, appeared to her and healed her wounds. Against a dark background, the artist painted three figures. On the left is a half-naked St. Agatha. The apostle Peter leans towards her. Opposite the girl stands an angel holding a torch that brightly illuminates the scene.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Healing of St. Agatha of Sicily

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