Peter Paul Rubens
(1577-1640)
The Martyrdom of St Lawrence,
um 1613/14
Material / Technology / Carrier
Holz
Dimensions of the object
250 x 178,5 cm
Displayed
AP OG Saal VIII
Acquisition
1806 aus der Galerie Düsseldorf
Stock
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Alte Pinakothek München
Citation
Peter Paul Rubens, Martyrium des hl. Laurentius, um 1613/14, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Alte Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/jpxep854J7 (Last updated on 17.10.2023)
The ‘Legenda aurea’ tells of how Lawrence refuses to hand over the riches of the Church, distributing them instead among the poor. As a punishment, he was to pay homage to heathen idols (represented in this painting by a marble statue of the king of the gods, Jupiter, top right). When he refused, he was tortured on a red-hot grate. The angel sweeping down from above with the palm frond of victory and a laurel wreath already announces the triumph over martyrdom. In his interpretation of the literary source Rubens picks up on Titian’s works.
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