Artwork
Martyrdom of Saint Thiemo

Martyrdom of Saint Thiemo is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Christopher Paudiß. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The scene serves as a visual narrative of the saint's sacrifice, consistent with the genre's focus on hagiographic storytelling.
The painting depicts the martyrdom of Saint Thiemo, a religious subject executed by Christopher Paudiß in 1662. As a work of religious art, the composition centers on the figure of Thiemo, portraying the events surrounding his death. The scene serves as a visual narrative of the saint's sacrifice, consistent with the genre's focus on hagiographic storytelling. The imagery functions to commemorate the specific martyrdom attributed to this historical religious figure.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas in 1662, the work measures 336 cm in height and 191 cm in width. The handling shows the typical layered, glazed application associated with Central European Baroque devotional painting of the mid‑seventeenth century, with luminous passages over a warm imprimatura.
Formal qualities include a strong repoussoir figure on the left that anchors the composition and directs the viewer’s gaze toward the saint’s ecstatic collapse at center, where a diagonal of falling bodies and fluttering drapery intensifies the drama. The palette is restrained yet resonant, employing deep crimsons and ochres heightened by selective highlights on armor and wounds.
History & Provenance
The painting Martyrdom of Saint Thiemo was created in 1662 by the artist Christopher Paudiß. Executed in oil on canvas, the work depicts the religious subject of Saint Thiemo. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.
No further details regarding the original commission, specific patron, or intermediate ownership history prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The painting is in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is recorded under the museum’s holdings with an inventory dimension of 336 cm in height by 191 cm in width.
It has been exhibited at the Kunsthistorisches Museum as part of its holdings of religious art by Christoph Paudiß.
Overview
Christopher Paudiß’s Martyrdom of Saint Thiemo is an oil painting executed in 1662. The work belongs to the Flemish Baroque tradition and is part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It portrays the violent death of the eponymous saint within a crowded, tumultuous setting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Christoph(er) Paudiß (1630 in Lower Saxony – 1666 in Freising, Upper Bavaria) was a Bavarian Baroque painter and a student of Rembrandt van Rijn.


















