Saint Barbara (Parmigianino)
|
| Saint Barbara |
|---|
| Parmigianino , ca.1522/1523 |
| oil on wood |
| 48 × 39 cm |
| Museo del Prado , Madrid |
The St. Barbara is a bust portrait of the Mannerist painter Parmigianino . It depicts the martyr Barbara of Nicomedia and is one of the earliest small-format panel paintings by this painter.
The legend of St. Barbara
According to the legend, St. Barbara a very beautiful and clever young woman, so that many men asked for her hand. Barbara, however, did not want to marry, but after meeting Christians had come to the decision to convert to Christianity. Barbara's father tried to shield her from the outside world and locked her in a specially built tower. The father tried to persuade her with torture and torture, but this strengthened her belief. When her father heard of her baptism, he decided to kill his daughter. Barbara was able to flee into a crevice that miraculously opened before her. However, she was betrayed by a shepherd.
Dioscuros found his daughter, beat her and brought her to the Roman governor Marcianus, who sentenced her to death. In the city, she was so brutally mistreated that her skin was left in tatters. In the prison cell, Christ appeared to her and healed her wounds. The bitter governor had her clubbed in public, cut off her breasts and tortured her with torches. Before her death, Barbara prayed, then an angel appeared and wrapped her in a snow-white, glowing robe. In the end, the cruel father beheaded his daughter himself. He was struck by lightning shortly afterwards and burned to death.
Image content
With this painting, Parmigianino does not follow the iconographic patterns of the barbarian depictions, but rather depicts the saint in a similar way to a profane ideal portrait . Her attribute , the tower, lies in the shadow of the left hand. The halo is barely visible today. Parmigianino only indicated it by a delicate golden line. The image background is dark green to black. In front of it stands out the pale pink flesh, which is painted with a loose, sweeping style. The unusual depiction of a saint with a strict profile is based on the Neoplatonic doctrine that external beauty reflects divine virtue and the amazed immersion in the grace of the portrayed and its artistic implementation can elevate the mind of the beholder into heavenly spheres.
The current version no longer corresponds to the original picture. The painting has been adjusted in size by enlarging it on all four sides. This was presumably done to do justice to the hanging location in the royal collection in Madrid.
Provenance
The picture is mentioned in 1662 in the Ventar of the Muselli Collection. In 1686 it was listed in the inventory of the Alcazar in Madrid and in 1746 in the inventory of the Palacia de la Granja. It has been in the Prado since 1854.
supporting documents
literature
- Reinhold Baumstark: Parmigianino - the Madonna in the Alte Pinakothek , Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern 2007, ISBN 978-3-7757-2032-8