The Escape of a Heretic, 1559
Artist
Sir John Everett Millais
(British, 1829 - 1896)
Date1857
Object number65.0568
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsframe: 56 1/2 x 44 5/8 x 4 in. (143.5 x 113.3 x 10.2 cm)
43 1/8 x 31 1/8 in. (109.5 x 79.1 cm)
43 1/8 x 31 1/8 in. (109.5 x 79.1 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescription[REPLACE DESCRIPTION - SEE BELOW] In the 1850s, Millais developed a tradition within British history-painting, based on presenting imaginary anecdotes from the past in which ordinary individuals face challenging situations beyond their control. This painting was shown next to a fictitious written account of how in 1559 a heretic escaped from the Inquisition prison on the day she would be executed. The woman, wearing the yellow sambenito and pointed hat of those condemned to the stake, was rescued by her lover, who came into the prison dressed up as a monk. She escaped wearing the clothes of her jailer, who can be seen bound and gagged in the background.
[NEW DESCRIPTION] In this fictional scene, a man disguised as a friar attempts to rescue a heretic woman condemned by the Spanish Inquisition, as indicated by the penitential garment, or sambenito, hiding under the habit she wears. The robe belonged to her jailer, who is portrayed behind her, bound and gagged with rosary beads. This painting has been interpreted as a testimony of the anti-Catholic sentiment prevalent in England during the mid-nineteenth century and a declaration of the artist against the atrocities committed in history in the name of religion.
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