Artwork
St Benedict and the False King Totila
St Benedict and the False King Totila is a paint painting by the Impressionist artist Edward Kaiser. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This watercolour presents a scene from the life of St Benedict, depicting the saint confronting the pretended king Totila.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour presents a scene from the life of St Benedict, depicting the saint confronting the pretended king Totila. It is a faithful reproduction of a fresco originally painted by Luca Signorelli in the late 15th century, located in the cloister of Monteoliveto Maggiore near Siena. The copy was executed in the 19th century by Eduard Kaiser, a German artist active between 1820 and 1887.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates the legendary episode in which St Benedict exposes Totila’s false claim to the throne, emphasizing the saint’s moral authority over temporal power. The narrative underscores themes of truth, spiritual discernment, and the triumph of ecclesiastical virtue over political deceit, reflecting hagiographic traditions that celebrated the saint’s role as a guide and judge.
Technique & Style
Kaiser rendered the image in watercolour, employing a subtle gradation of light and shadow to model forms, a technique reminiscent of chiaroscuro.
Kaiser rendered the image in watercolour, employing a subtle gradation of light and shadow to model forms, a technique reminiscent of chiaroscuro. This approach translates the original fresco’s volumetric modeling into a portable medium, preserving the dramatic contrast and spatial depth that characterize Signorelli’s late‑Renaissance style while adapting it to the translucency of watercolor pigments.
History & Provenance
The copy was commissioned by the Arundel Society, an organization founded in 1848 to disseminate reproductions of masterworks, particularly Italian fresco cycles. Produced as part of the Society’s program to document and share significant mural paintings, the work entered its collection in the late 19th century and remains identified by the catalogue reference E.283‑1995.
Context
Signorelli’s original fresco, painted between 1498 and 1499, formed part of a larger narrative cycle in the Monteoliveto cloister, intended to educate monastic viewers through visual storytelling. Kaiser’s 19th‑century copy reflects the period’s growing interest in preserving Renaissance art, especially as many frescoes faced deterioration, and illustrates the broader Victorian effort to make such heritage accessible beyond its original architectural setting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
St Benedict and the True King Totila
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