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The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew
Jusepe de Ribera·1634
Historical Context
Ribera's Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, painted in 1634, depicts the apostle's horrific death by flaying with the unflinching naturalism that made the Spanish-born Neapolitan master both celebrated and notorious. Ribera's martyrdom paintings were among his most powerful works, combining extreme physical realism with a profound sense of spiritual suffering. The painting exemplifies the Counter-Reformation emphasis on the redemptive value of martyrdom and physical suffering for the faith.
Technical Analysis
Ribera's mature oil technique creates an almost tactile rendering of flesh, rope, and the instruments of torture. The dramatic tenebrism isolates the saint's body against a dark ground, while the powerful modeling of musculature and skin demonstrates Ribera's unmatched ability to render the human body under physical stress.
Provenance
Bought in Italy c. 1810 by Richard Barré Dunning, Lord Ashburton (of the first creation) for his uncle-in-law George Cranstoun, Lord Corehouse [d. 1850], Corehouse, Scotland; by descent to Colonel Alstair Joseph Edgar Cranstoun of that Ilk by 1960;[1] (his sale, Sotheby's, London, 6 July 1983, no. 30). Private collection, London; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 July 1990, no. 83); purchased by NGA. [1] According to the Sotheby's catalogues, which identify Dunning simply as Lord Ashburton. _The Scots Peerage_, 9 vols., Edinburgh, 1904-1914: 2:598, gives his full name and lists his marriage to Corehouse's niece Anne Selby Cunningham in 1805.
