Who painted Martyrdom of Saint Margaret?

Martyrdom of Saint Margaret was painted by Giuseppe Cesari in c. 1608/1611.

Where can I see Martyrdom of Saint Margaret?

Martyrdom of Saint Margaret is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Martyrdom of Saint Margaret?

Martyrdom of Saint Margaret is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Martyrdom of Saint Margaret?

Museum-quality prints of Martyrdom of Saint Margaret are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Martyrdom of Saint Margaret by Giuseppe Cesari (c. 1608/1611)

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left on rock: IOSEPHVS CAESAR / ARPINAS

About this work

Technique & Style

Executed in 1609, this religious work by Giuseppe Cesari is an oil painting on panel.

Executed in 1609, this religious work by Giuseppe Cesari is an oil painting on panel. The composition measures 85.1 cm in height and 62.6 cm in width. While an early inventory from the Spanish Royal Collection described the support as a metal plate (lámina), scholars note that the recorded dimensions correspond exactly to the extant panel, suggesting the original cataloger may have confused the materials. The piece is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

History & Provenance

Painted by Giuseppe Cesari in 1609, the work entered the Spanish Royal Collection at the Palacio Nuevo in Madrid by 1772, where it remained through at least 1794. An inventory entry from those years describes "el Martirio de Santa Margarita, de vara de largo y tres cuartos de ancho, original de Joseph Arpinas," dimensions corresponding to the panel. The painting was subsequently in a private collection in France until 1970.

It passed through P. & D. Colnaghi & Co. in London in 1971 and was offered at Sotheby's, London, on 8 July 1981 (lot 92). By 1983 it was with Julius H. Weitzner in London, who sold it in 1984 to the National Gallery of Art, where it remains.

The painting has not been identified in the inventories of Charles II, though a related entry appears in the 1789–1790 royal inventory under Charles III.

The Martyrdom of Saint Margaret is part of the National Gallery of Art collection in Washington, D.C., where it is recorded under inventory number 1984.143.1. The work entered the museum in 1984 after being acquired from Julius H. Weitzner, London. Its exhibition history includes display in the National Gallery of Art’s East Building, as noted in its accession documentation and corroborated by the museum’s provenance records.

The painting was previously held by the Spanish Royal Collection at the Palacio Nuevo in Madrid by 1772 and remained there until at least 1794, later entering a private French collection before 1970 and being sold at Sotheby’s, London, on 8 July 1981 (no. 92). It was then owned by Julius H. Weitzner until its purchase by the National Gallery of Art in 1984.

Legacy

The Martyrdom of Saint Margaret by Giuseppe Cesari was recognized in 18th-century Spanish royal inventories, documented by scholars such as Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez and cited in works by Ponz and Cumberland, before entering a private French collection and later being sold at Sotheby's London in 1981. It was subsequently acquired by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it remains in the collection as confirmed by its presence in the institution's holdings and catalog records. The work's attribution to Cesari and its historical journey through European collections have contributed to its scholarly recognition and continued presence in art historical discourse.

Overview

Giuseppe Cesari, often called Il Giuseppino or the Cavaliere d’Arpino, executed the oil‑on‑panel work Martyrdom of Saint Margaret circa 1610. Created during the early Baroque era in Italy, the painting reflects the artist’s position at the crossroads of late Mannerist sensibilities and emerging Baroque dynamism.

Subject & Meaning

The composition portrays the execution of Saint Margaret, centering a kneeling female figure dressed in yellow and a red mantle. She is surrounded by a gathering of onlookers, while celestial beings, an ethereal woman in blue, a child, and attendant angels, hover above on clouds, suggesting a heavenly witness to the martyr’s suffering.

Context

The painting emerges at a time when Roman art was transitioning from the elongated elegance of Mannerism toward the more visceral, movement‑driven language of Baroque. Cesari’s blend of refined figure drawing and dramatic lighting mirrors this broader cultural shift in religious visual culture.

Artist & collection

Artist

Giuseppe Cesari

Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called Cavaliere d'Arpino, because he was created Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ by his patron Pope Clement VIII.