Garofalo (Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo), Nicholas of Tolentino Reviving the Birds

Circa 1530
Oil on canvas, transferred from wood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Acquisition no. 17.190.23

The Acta Sanctorum (Sept. vol. 3, 643) quotes an account from Jordanus of Saxony in which Nicholas was brought a roast partridge because he was ill. Monks generally do not eat meat, so he refused the partridge. His prior The head of a local community of friars insisted that in obedience he must take his food, but the phrase he used was "put your hand on the food." The saint did put his hand on the bird, but raised his eyes to heaven and made the sign of the cross, whereupon the bird came back to life and immediately flew away.

Garofalo's painting follows a later writer named Albericius (cited ibid.), who claimed there were not one but two partridges.

View this image in full resolution.
Read more about images of Nicholas of Tolentino.

• Home Page
• St. Nicholas of Tolentino
• This Picture

Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.