The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien

Gallery 399, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien

1865

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867)

Ingres here depicts Saint Symphorien, a Roman Christian of the second or third century, being led to his execution for his contempt of a pagan image. Symphorien's mother shouts encouragement to him from the city wall. In the fifth century, a church in honor of Symphorien was built at Autun, France, the scene of his martyrdom. In 1834, Ingres completed a monumental altarpiece of the subject for the cathedral at Autun, and some thirty years later he painted this small-scale replica.

Gallery 399, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Object Details

Title:

The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien

Date:

1865

Artist:

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

14 7/16 x 12 7/16 inches (36.7 x 31.6 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 793

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

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Gallery 399, European Art 1500-1850, third floor

Main Building

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