Jacopo Palma il Vecchio
Altar of St. Barbara

Circa 1523
Church of Santa Maria Formosa, Venice<

In the central panel Barbara stands before her tower with a palm branch. St. Barbara is the patron saint of artillerymen, hence the canons at her feet. In the background is the tower that serves as her attribute. The palm branch signifies martyrdom. This saint is not usually shown with a crown, but there is a tendency in paintings of this period to put crowns on virgin martyrs.

In the panel above is a Pietà. The saints on the left are John the Baptist above (cross, scroll, animal skin – see detail) and Sebastian below (arrows, tree – see detail). On the right are St. Vincent Ferrer above (flame in hand, book, Dominican habit – see detail) and St. Anthony Abbot below (tau-top staff, flame, pig, habit of the Antonine friars – see detail).

The sculpture on the altar frontal represents the martyrdom of St. Barbara (see below).

The relief in the altar frontal depicts the end of Barbara's life and her father's. On the left she lies beheaded while friends mourn; on the right, a thunderbolt strikes the old man.

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Photographed in the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.