Antiveduto Gramatica (Italian, 1571–1626), St. Dorothy, late 16th–early 17th century. Oil on canvas, 47 × 37 in. (119.38 × 93.98 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader. M1971.23. Photo: Cleber Bonato.
St. Dorothy was a Christian martyr. On a bitter February day, as she was on her way to be put to death for her faith, the pagan lawyer Theophilus mocked her, telling her to send him fruits from the garden of her bridegroom, Christ. Just before she was executed, she sent a young boy to bring Theophilus her headdress, which, though it was winter, was miraculously filled with roses and fruits, a fact that ultimately converted the lawyer. Gramatica further heightened the drama of the composition by using chiaroscuro (the contrast between dark and light).
Permanent collection label, November 2015. Written by Catherine Sawinski, Assistant Curator of Earlier European Art.
