Bolognese or Roman Master, XVII century.

Bolognese or Roman Master, XVII century.
"Saint Lucia".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 132 x 95,5 cm; 149 x 112 cm (frame).
Endowed with a volumetric beauty, Santa Lucia has been represented slightly turned towards the angel who contemplates her with tenderness. The saint wears a wide blue tunic, with the neck adorned with gold brocade. She holds in her left hand a plate with her own eyes, which, according to legend, were gouged out, although she miraculously retained her vision. The red cloak falls from her shoulders and flutters subtly in wide folds. She wears her hair loose, so that her golden tresses glow under a warm light emanating from the break of glory, the divine light that enters through an open window. The figure of the saint with the angel is the central theme of the painting, occupying almost its entire surface.

Probably of Italian origin, this painting presents an elaborate work of glazes that highlights the textures and sensual nuances of the fabrics, as well as the flesh tones of subtle crimson. The iconographic attribute of the eyes on the plate allows us to identify the figure represented as Saint Lucy of Syracuse, daughter of Christian nobles who educated her in the faith. Lucia took a vow of chastity and consecrated her life to God, although her mother promised her in marriage to a young pagan. Finally, the engagement was broken after the miraculous healing of her mother, which unleashed the wrath of the suitor, who denounced her as a Christian before the proconsul Pascasius.

St. Lucy was arrested and, refusing to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, Paschasius ordered her to be taken to a lupanar to be outraged. However, the soldiers were unable to move her, for she remained miraculously rigid as a stone. Pascasius then condemned her for witchcraft and took her to the stake, but the fire did not harm her. Her eyes were gouged out as a symbol of her martyrdom, though she retained her sight. Finally, Pascasio ordered her beheading. Patroness of the blind and protector of the poor and sick children, Saint Lucy is venerated mainly in Syracuse, Venice and San Pietro del Monte, although important festivals are also dedicated to her in Scandinavia.

Saint Lucy has been a character widely represented in the ecclesiastical pictorial tradition. Her iconography has been enriched since medieval times, illustrating various episodes of her life, especially her martyrdom and burial. In this case, although the painting is from the Baroque period, a typical Renaissance composition prevails: the woman in a three-quarter half-length, showing the tray which, on this occasion, holds a necklace instead of the gouged out eyes. In fact, the subject of the eyes is a popular belief unsupported by canonical sources. The sources on the life of Saint Lucy are based on the Acts Martyrum, which record her condemnation process; on the martyrologies, which describe her death; and on the Golden Legend, the work of Jacobus de Voragine, written in 1298.