Saint Apollonia

Zurbarán painted Saint Apollonia around 1637, one of the most celebrated works in his series of individual standing female saints — each depicted in full length against a neutral background, in contemporary costume, holding the instrument of their martyrdom. Apollonia, who was tortured by having her teeth extracted before her death, holds both her teeth and the pincers used to remove them, presenting her attribute with the calm dignity that Zurbarán brings to all his saint figures. His female saints — depicted as specific women with individualized faces and the rich fabrics of seventeenth-century Spanish dress — were created for the Seville religious market and distributed widely to Spanish colonial churches in the Americas, making him one of the most geographically widespread painters of the Baroque era.

Zurbarán's characteristic treatment of fabric—stiff, sculptural drapery lit from the side—transforms the saint into a monumental figure, with the rich colors of her dress contrasting against the dark background.