Getty Museum
Saint Lucy
Creator
Fra Paolino (Paolo del Signoraccio)Italian Artist · 1490–1547
All works by this person →Like his mentor Fra Bartolommeo, Fra Paolino spent his life as a Dominican monk making religious works for his order. His father, a minor painter, provided his early training. By 1513 Fra Paolino lived in Florence at the convent of San Marco, where he made two clay statues. He likely assisted Fra Bartolommeo and probably also worked under his sometime collaborator. Fra Paolino's first documented p
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1525–1530
- Medium
- Black and white chalk
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
A young woman stares sorrowfully at a palm branch in her left hand, the symbol of a martyr. Dressed in a long, flowing robe, she holds the edge of her cloak under her right arm as it has slipped from her shoulder. She is Saint Lucy, a virgin martyr from Syracuse in Italy, who died in about the year 304 for her beliefs as a Christian. Lucy survived numerous tortures such as having molten lead poured into her ears, having her teeth pulled and her breasts amputated, and being drenched with boiling oil and urine. Ultimately, she was killed by a dagger through her throat. Fra Paolino outlined the figure of the saint with black chalk, quickly correcting the lines of drapery at her back until he achieved the line he desired. He used tight lines of cross-hatching to give a sense of depth and shadow to the folds of fabric that pool at her feet. Curving strokes of white chalk give subtle highlights to the creases and folds of her garment.
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