Saint Agatha

De Rosa Francesco called Pacecco

(Naples c. 1580 - c. 1659)

This painting was donated to the Galleria Borghese in 1924. Traditionally attributed to the Neapolitan painter Pacecco de Rosa, it depicts the martyr Agatha, portrayed half-length as she delicately covers her breasts, which according to legend were brutally ripped off with a large pair of tongs when she refused to retract her adherence to the Christian religion. Having dedicated her life to Christ, the virgin met Quintianus, the Roman prefect of Sicily, who fell hopelessly in love with her. With all the means at his disposal he tried to bend her to his will, unsuccessfully.

Object details

Commentary

Donated to the Museum by the Castellano family in 1924, this painting was first made known by Paola della Pergola, who in 1955 confirmed the attribution to the Neapolitan painter Pacecco de Rosa, given at the time of its entrance into the Galleria. In the view of this scholar, this work shows similarities to other half-length portraits by the artist, even though she deemed this canvas ‘a rather modest execution’. While her view was accepted by Kristina Herrmann Fiore (2006), it was indirectly rebuffed by Vincenzo Pacelli (2008), who in his monograph on Pacecco made no mention of the Borghese canvas.

The work depicts Agatha, the virgin from Catania, as she delicately holds a white cloth to her breasts, which have just been torn away. The martyr shows no signs of suffering, although her demeanour is cool and detached, as emphasised by her closed mouth and her gaze directed downward, which seems to induce the observer to reflect on what has just happened to her.

The style of the work conforms to that of the painter’s oeuvre generally. In all likelihood it was executed within his busy workshop, where numerous students produced high-quality paintings, combining a naturalism clearly inspired by the Neapolitan school with tendencies important from Guido Reni and Emilian painters active in Naples.

Antonio Iommelli