Saint Martin and the Beggar

WEBP (MASTER) • 5348 × 9359 PX • 7.8 MB
Curatorial Notes

This painting is a small replica of an altarpiece for the private family chapel of San José in Toledo, Spain. Producing smaller versions of commissioned altarpieces allowed El Greco to introduce his creations to a wider market. The composition here includes elements that would have resonated with his audience: Saint Martin wears fashionable, contemporary armor, and the walls of Toledo are visible in the distant background. Martin was a popular saint during the period, when the Catholic Church was promoting acts of charity like the gift of his cloak to a beggar as necessary for earning salvation.

Artwork Identification

Title Saint Martin and the Beggar
Title (PT) São Martinho e o Mendigo
Title (ES) San Martín y el mendigo
Artist Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco
Artist Bio El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos; Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614)
Date c. 1597–c. 1600
Work Type Painting

Location & Collection

License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
Ars Sancta