Saint Rosalie Interceding for the City of Palermo
Artist
Anthony van Dyck
(Flemish, 1599 - 1641)
Dateca. 1629
Object number60.0159
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions67 3/4 × 57 1/2 in. (172.1 × 146.1 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescriptionFollowing an outbreak of the plague in Sicily, reports soon emerged that Saint Rosalie had appeared to residents of Palermo revealing the location of her mortal remains. Miraculously, the epidemic ended upon their discovery. After van Dyck escaped Palermo himself, he painted a number of images of St. Rosalie. Here, she kneels beside the cave in which she lived, her somber brown robes emphasizing a life of penance. She helps to mediate between the mortal and divine worlds as she points to the city at her feet with her face turned towards the beam of celestial light.
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