Artwork
St Nicholas of Bari
St Nicholas of Bari is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jacopo Tintoretto. It dates from 1555 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is a single-figure devotional image rather than a narrative composition, consistent with Tintoretto's mid-sixteenth-century religious paintings.
The painting depicts Saint Nicholas, identified in the source records as St Nicholas of Bari, the bishop-saint venerated as a protector of children, sailors, and the poor. As a religious work, it belongs to the devotional tradition of representing this fourth-century saint, whose cult was especially strong in the Adriatic port of Bari, where his relics were translated in the eleventh century.
The work is a single-figure devotional image rather than a narrative composition, consistent with Tintoretto's mid-sixteenth-century religious paintings. Its tall, narrow format (114 by 56 cm) suits the vertical, standing presentation typical of bishop-saints, framing the figure for private veneration or placement within a larger altarpiece scheme.
Held today by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the painting reflects the Counter-Reformation climate of 1550s Venice, when reformed religious imagery emphasized the intercessory power of the saints and their role as models of Christian virtue.
Technique & Style
Jacopo Tintoretto created St Nicholas of Bari in 1555 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 114 cm in height and 56 cm in width. Classified as a religious painting, the piece depicts Saint Nicholas and is currently held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated to 1555, aligning with Jacopo Tintoretto’s early maturity in the 1550s. It was commissioned and entered the imperial collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who assembled a significant group of Venetian works during his tenure as governor of the Low Countries. By the late seventeenth century, the picture formed part of the holdings of the newly established Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it remains today.
The work’s dimensions are 114 cm in height by 56 cm in width, recorded in the museum’s records as part of the Archduke’s collection.
Jacopo Tintoretto's painting St Nicholas of Bari, created in 1555, is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The work was previously owned by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria before entering the museum's holdings. The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the piece, nor do they list any exhibition history.
Context
The painting St Nicholas of Bari by Jacopo Tintoretto was created in 1555 and exemplifies the religious genre within the Venetian school of the 16th century. It is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it was once part of the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, reflecting the patronage networks of the period. Scholarship on the work emphasizes its significance within Tintoretto's mature period and its role in the broader context of Counter-Reformation religious art, particularly in its depiction of saintly intercession and miraculous themes.
The composition and use of light have been analyzed as characteristic of Tintoretto's innovative approach to devotional imagery, situating the work within ongoing discussions of artistic practice and spiritual representation in Renaissance Venice.
Overview
Jacopo Tintoretto’s oil painting titled St Nicholas of Bari was executed in 1555. The work presents the saint in a standing pose, dressed in a white habit trimmed in red, a pointed hat, and a staff in his right hand, while a tray bearing three golden spheres rests in his left. The figure is set against a greenish landscape that includes water and a cloudy sky, conveying a tranquil atmosphere.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518 – 31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( TIN-tə-RET-oh; Italian:; Venetian: ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school.
![The Virgin Annunciate [middle right panel], by Cosimo Tura](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/cosimo-tura--the-virgin-annunciate-middle-right-panel--9eeab22c5567995d-w320.webp)
