Spanish
Death of a Saint, n.d.
Not on view
Oil on canvas
Dimensions9 × 11 1/4 in. (22.9 × 28.6 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fenton Davison, 1985.84
Deathbed scenes have a long tradition in visual art. The first examples of the genre, developed during the early fourteenth century, are known as ars moriendi (Latin for “the art of dying”). They were intended to provide guidance to the ill and dying on the necessary spiritual preparation for death.
Later deathbed scenes, such as this one, reassured the dying that their virtuous life would be rewarded in death. This particular scene depicts a saint on his deathbed, with brilliant white garments and bed linens to symbolize his purity. The priest at his side has his hands raised in prayer and is assisted by an altar boy who holds a small candle over a Bible. The light from that candle creates the focal point of the work, but it also symbolically suggests the passing of the saint and his heavenly reward.
