Saint Lawrence

Holding the martyr’s palm, Saint Lawrence of Rome (c. 225-258 CE) is depicted here in a simple format, with the glow of his red vestments adding a swathe of colour against the empty background. Shown kneeling, his hand resting on a gridiron (a type of metal grill) and his head turned upwards, the artist has succinctly conveyed the saint’s placid resignation to his impending fate. One of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Emperor Valerian in 258 CE, Lawrence is still a popular saint today. As an archdeacon he was responsible for the treasury and distribution of alms. Shortly before his arrest he was said to have bequeathed all the treasures of the church to the poor, in order to avoid their confiscation by the Roman army’s prefect. In retaliation, the prefect chose a gruesome method of execution, setting coals beneath a gridiron to burn Lawrence alive. Legend has it that after some time Lawrence called out that he was well done on one side, and to “turn me over”. His witty last words make him the favoured saint invoked by comedians, as well as chefs, tanners, librarians and the poor. 

When this painting first entered the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection it was thought to be by the artist Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669), a seventeenth-century Italian painter and architect patronized by the leading families of Rome. Today though, the painting is attributed more generally to a Roman artist. The painting is a pared back example of the Roman Baroque style. The thickly-applied paint (or impasto), used to draw the eye to the loosely described vestments and the shift caught around the bent knee, is all that is needed to convey the supplicant figure. Paintings of saints would have been used for personal devotion and, although the canvas shows signs of its age, Lawrence’s figure still has a compelling presence.