Artwork
Roundel with Saint Martin and the Beggar
Roundel with Saint Martin and the Beggar is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This circular painting, known as a roundel, illustrates a pivotal moment of charity.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The roundel depicts Saint Martin and a beggar, illustrating the legendary episode in which the saint shares his cloak with a destitute figure.
The roundel depicts Saint Martin and a beggar, illustrating the legendary episode in which the saint shares his cloak with a destitute figure.
Dated to circa 1500 and classified as a religious painting, the work is anonymous and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is presented as part of the museum's religious art holdings.
Through its iconography of a saint extending charity to a poor man, the composition conveys themes of Christian charity and saintly intercession that were customary in the religious genre of the period.
History & Provenance
Roundel with Saint Martin and the Beggar is an anonymous religious work dated to around 1500, depicting the saint sharing his cloak with a beggar. Produced in the small circular format typical of roundels in early sixteenth-century art, it belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Its provenance is recorded only through the museum's acquisition, with no earlier ownership details available, and no exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
This circular painting, known as a roundel, illustrates a pivotal moment of charity. It features a figure on horseback, identified as Saint Martin, engaged in an act of compassion with a naked beggar. The composition captures the dynamic interaction between the two figures, highlighting the narrative's central theme of generosity.
Artist & collection
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