Sainte Barbe

Marco d'Oggiono's Sainte Barbe (Saint Barbara) belongs to this Milanese painter's production of devotional works in the Leonardesque tradition. Marco d'Oggiono was among Leonardo da Vinci's earliest Milanese pupils, and his works reflect the master's influence in their soft modeling, gentle facial expressions, and careful attention to the sitter's psychological interiority. Saint Barbara, traditionally depicted with the tower in which her pagan father imprisoned her, was a major intercessor saint particularly invoked against sudden death. Marco's version gives the saint Leonardo's characteristic sfumato modeling and the serene beauty of the Milanese school.

The devotional composition is rendered with attention to the expressive and contemplative qualities that served the painting's function as an aid to prayer and meditation.