The Palazzo Bellomo Altarpiece of St. Barbara: Detail, Dioscorus Brings Barbara Before Marcianus

16th century
Oil on panel
Palazzo Bellomo, Syracuse, Sicily

The inscription in Italian says, "When the father took her to the provost." Dioscorus, with his hand on Barbara's shoulder, accuses his daughter before the judge. The corresponding passage in Caxton is "And then her father took her by the hair and drew her down from the mountain and shut her fast in prison, and made her to be kept there by his servants unto the time that he had sent to the judge for to deliver her to the torments. And when the judge was advertised of the faith and belief of the maid he did her to be brought tofore him. Her father went with her, accompanied with his servants threatening her with his sword, and delivered her unto the judge, and conjured him by the puissance [power] of his gods that he should torment her with horrible torments."

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Photographed at the site by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.