The Burial of St. Petronilla by Guercino, Musei Capitolini (Rome)
The Burial of St. Petronilla is an altarpiece painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino) around 1623. It simultaneously depicts the burial and the welcoming to heaven of the martyred Saint Petronilla. The altarpiece was painted for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, for a chapel dedicated to the saint and containing her relics. It was later transferred to the Quirinal Palace, before being taken to Paris by Napoleon's troops. Brought back to Italy by Antonio Canova, it was placed in the Capitoline Museums of Rome in 1818, where it is currently displayed.
Petronilla, whose name means "little rock", is popularly believed to have been the daughter of Saint Peter, whose Greek name, Petros, means "rock". Her relics had rested in the catacombs of Domitilla in Rome until 757 when Pope Paul I translated her body to St Peter's in the circular mausoleum called thereafter of St Petronilla. The saint was named by the same Pope protector and patron of the French Kings to reward Pepin the Short of his service to the Papacy in front of the Lombard invasion. When the Rotunda of St Petronilla was demolished during the construction of the new St Peter, her body was translated to a new altar within the new church (1606). Guercino was instructed then to paint an altarpiece for the altar above her tomb.
The painting is a portrayal of Saint Petronilla's martyrdom. The representation created by Guercino emphasizes Petronilla's devotion to God above all, but also to the Church and the reward with which she met upon her death.
The painted narrative occurs on two tiers, Heaven and Earth. Petronilla is seen being lowered into her grave and at the same time entering Heaven. Both images are aligned along the central vertical axis, mirroring each other. The figures are directly involved in the actions depicted. However, the narrative representation does not exclude the congregation from its action. It tends more to emphasize its importance over the acts within the lives of the congregation.
The painting is open on all sides. In the lower portion hands reaching up from below the image field can be seen. The congregation is being included in the act of burying the St. The sense of belonging to and being affected by the act in progress is strengthened by its open form. The hands extending toward the Saint break the line between the action in the painting and the world in which the congregation inhabited. It is as though the scene were speaking directly to the congregation, beckoning them to participate in reverence.
The Burial of St. Petronilla by Guercino, Musei Capitolini (Rome)
The Burial of St. Petronilla is an altarpiece painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino) around 1623. It simultaneously depicts the burial and the welcoming to heaven of the martyred Saint Petronilla. The altarpiece was painted for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, for a chapel dedicated to the saint and containing her relics. It was later transferred to the Quirinal Palace, before being taken to Paris by Napoleon's troops. Brought back to Italy by Antonio Canova, it was placed in the Capitoline Museums of Rome in 1818, where it is currently displayed.
Petronilla, whose name means "little rock", is popularly believed to have been the daughter of Saint Peter, whose Greek name, Petros, means "rock". Her relics had rested in the catacombs of Domitilla in Rome until 757 when Pope Paul I translated her body to St Peter's in the circular mausoleum called thereafter of St Petronilla. The saint was named by the same Pope protector and patron of the French Kings to reward Pepin the Short of his service to the Papacy in front of the Lombard invasion. When the Rotunda of St Petronilla was demolished during the construction of the new St Peter, her body was translated to a new altar within the new church (1606). Guercino was instructed then to paint an altarpiece for the altar above her tomb.
The painting is a portrayal of Saint Petronilla's martyrdom. The representation created by Guercino emphasizes Petronilla's devotion to God above all, but also to the Church and the reward with which she met upon her death.
The painted narrative occurs on two tiers, Heaven and Earth. Petronilla is seen being lowered into her grave and at the same time entering Heaven. Both images are aligned along the central vertical axis, mirroring each other. The figures are directly involved in the actions depicted. However, the narrative representation does not exclude the congregation from its action. It tends more to emphasize its importance over the acts within the lives of the congregation.
The painting is open on all sides. In the lower portion hands reaching up from below the image field can be seen. The congregation is being included in the act of burying the St. The sense of belonging to and being affected by the act in progress is strengthened by its open form. The hands extending toward the Saint break the line between the action in the painting and the world in which the congregation inhabited. It is as though the scene were speaking directly to the congregation, beckoning them to participate in reverence.