Lives of Christian Saints
John Kendrick Fisher
The Death of St. Peter Martyr
oil on canvas
60 in x 16 9/16 in (152.4 cm x 42.07 cm);60 in x 42 in (152.4 cm x 106.68 cm);74 ¾ in x 51 ¼ in x 2 ¾ in (189.87 cm x 130.18 cm x 6.99 cm)
Gift of Miss Fannie Fisher
Columbian
Saint
oil on panel
8 ⅜ in x 5 ⅞ in x 7/16 in (21.27 cm x 14.92 cm x 1.11 cm)
Gift of Prof. and Mrs. Horace M. Miner
Andrea Boscoli
Four Episodes in the Life of a Saint
pen, ink, wash, and black chalk, laid down
3 in x 3 in (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm);14 3/10 in x 19 3/10 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm);3 ⅞ in x 3 ⅞ in (9.84 cm x 9.84 cm)
Purchased from the Estate of Edward Sonnenschein
Andrea Boscoli
Four Episodes in the Life of a Saint
pen, ink, wash, and black chalk, laid down
3 in x 3 in (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm);14 3/10 in x 19 3/10 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm);3 ⅞ in x 3 ⅞ in (9.84 cm x 9.84 cm)
Purchased from the Estate of Edward Sonnenschein
Andrea Boscoli
Four Episodes in the Life of a Saint
pen, ink, wash and black chalk, laid down
3 in x 3 in (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm);14 3/10 in x 19 3/10 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm);3 ⅞ in x 3 ⅞ in (9.84 cm x 9.84 cm)
Purchased from the Estate of Edward Sonnenschein
Jacques Callot
Le Miracle de Saint Mansuy (The Miracle of Saint Mansuy)
etching and engraving on paper
8 x 10 11/16 in. (20.2 x 27 cm);14 x 19 1/16 in. (35.5 x 48.3 cm);9 3/16 x 11 in. (23.2 x 27.9 cm)
Gift of Jean Paul Slusser
Jean Frélaut
Le Soir du Vendredi Saint
etching and drypoint on paper
9 ½ in x 12 ⅛ in (24.13 cm x 30.8 cm);9 7/16 in x 7 1/16 in (23.97 cm x 17.94 cm);14 ¼ in x 19 ¼ in (36.2 cm x 48.89 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Charles F. Weber.
Palma il Giovane
Female Figure (or Saint)
pen and wash on toned paper
3 9/16 in x 1 9/16 in (9.05 cm x 3.97 cm);12 ½ in x 11 1/16 in (31.75 cm x 28.1 cm);3 9/16 in x 1 9/16 in (9.05 cm x 3.97 cm)
Museum Purchase
Vicente Gómez
Saint Joseph and the Christ Child
pen and black ink on ivory laid paper
9 in x 6 11/16 in (22.86 cm x 16.99 cm);9 in x 6 11/16 in (22.86 cm x 16.99 cm);19 ⅜ in x 14 ⅜ in (49.21 cm x 36.51 cm)
Museum Purchase
Albrecht Dürer
Saint Jerome in His Chamber
engraving on beige laid paper
18 in x 15 in (45.72 cm x 38.1 cm);18 in x 15 in (45.72 cm x 38.1 cm);9 7/8 in x 7 3/8 in (25.08 cm x 18.73 cm)
Gift of Ruth W. and Clarence J. Boldt, Jr.
Bavarian
Three Figures with Haloes
paint on glass
Bequest of Jean Paul Slusser
In Christian religious traditions, the genre of saints’ lives, or hagiography, dates to late antiquity. By the European Middle Ages, contemplating or meditating on the life and death of a saint was a common devotional practice, together with celebrating saints’ days with local sermons, feasts, and even theater; records show that in their wills, medieval people bequeathed items of personal and religious significance to local statues and other depictions of saints. This changed during the Reformation, which in general saw Protestant countries moving away from hagiography while Catholic countries retained its significance. As this portfolio shows, saints’ lives and deaths remained oft-visited subjects in art up to and including today.
Taken altogether or in smaller sub-groups, these images trace hagiographical art in multiple media through the medieval and early modern periods, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and into modern and contemporary movements. The evident staying power of saints’ lives in art opens up discussions of European art history, religious history, and national or regional religious cultures.