Artwork
Saint Valentine

Saint Valentine is an oil painting. It dates from 1512 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:across bottom: (cross) S us (decorative element) Vallentin (decorative element, cross)
About this work
Saint Valentine stands in a red robe, white-bearded, holding a book and a heart-shaped object. His hand is wrapped in cloth, hiding a wound, while the heart glows bright, a small detail that hints at the story behind it. A Tyrolean painter made it around 1512.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays Saint Valentine and is classified as religious art, indicating its function as a devotional image within the Christian tradition. Created by an anonymous Tyrolean artist around 1512, it is executed in oil on panel and measures 155.6 cm by 51.7 cm. The work depicts the saint in the clear, restrained manner of early-sixteenth-century Northern Renaissance panel painting.
Technique & Style
The painting Saint Valentine is an oil work executed on a wooden panel, measuring about 155.
The painting Saint Valentine is an oil work executed on a wooden panel, measuring about 155.6 cm in height and 51.7 cm in width, and dated to around 1512 by a Tyrolean artist of the sixteenth century. It is classified as a religious panel painting and depicts the saint in a composition noted for clear outlines, restrained modeling, and a limited, vivid palette typical of early Northern Renaissance art. The panel remains in stable condition within the museum's collection.
History & Provenance
The work titled Saint Valentine, attributed to a Tyrolean artist of the sixteenth century, was executed in oil on panel around 1512. Its provenance traces from the ownership of Mrs. Joanne Freedman of Washington, D.C., who possessed the painting by 1972, to its donation to the National Gallery of Art in 1972, where it remains. No contemporary records detail the commissioning of the work, its accession number is not specified in the cited sources, and it is not listed as having been included in any exhibitions.
Overview
This oil painting on panel depicts Saint Valentine, a figure traditionally associated with love and devotion. The saint is portrayed with a white beard, clad in a red robe, holding both a book and a distinct heart-shaped object. The work presents a solemn figure, inviting contemplation of his identity and the objects he holds.










