Object Image
This painting of Saint Lucy was part of a bier commissioned from Domenico Beccafumi in 1521 by the Compagnia dei Santi Niccolò e Lucia in Siena. These biers were funeral beds used to transport the bodies of the deceased from the church to the cemetery. In Siena and its territory, painted biers were particularly popular; the panels at the head and foot were painted on both sides with sacred images. The bier of the Company of Saints Nicholas and Lucy remained in use until 1624, when it was donated to Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. From that moment trace is lost of the individual panels, only one of which – the one depicting Saint Lucy – survives to testify to our day the very high artistic...
1521
Oil on wood
55.0 x 38.0cm
Images and text © Monte dei Paschi di Siena, 2017

Where you'll find this

Museo San Donato (MPSArt)
Permanent collection