Andalusian School; XVIII century.

Andalusian School; XVIII century.
"Santa Susana".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 104 x 83 cm; 115 x 95 cm (frame).
The painting, characteristic of the Andalusian school of the XVIII century, presents a balanced composition between the celestial and the earthly, divided in two contrasting spaces. In the left zone, a break of glory dominates the scene. The Virgin appears in the center, wrapped in a golden halo. In the right zone, an earthly space develops where Saint Susanna is the main figure. Dressed in austere but refined clothes, the saint appears in an attitude of recollection, holding the palm of martyrdom. Her gaze seems to be directed towards the Virgin in the break of glory, marking a spiritual link between the two planes. In the right background, an architectural opening gives a glimpse of a classical building in Rome, possibly a basilica or temple, as a nod to the story of Saint Susanna and her martyrdom in the Eternal City.
It is said that Saint Susanna, virgin and martyr, was the daughter of Saint Gabinus of Rome. However, the extensive account of her in medieval legend is unreliable. The account states that, refusing to marry a pagan relative of Emperor Diocletian, she was arrested as a Christian. According to her Acts, she was beheaded around 295, by order of Diocletian, in her father's house, which was converted into a church along with the adjoining one belonging to her uncle, the prefect Gaius or, according to other accounts, Pope Gaius. The church was renamed Sancta Susanna ad duas domos.