St. Julian
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Object Details
Artist/Maker
Lorenzo Costa, Italian, ca. 1460–1535
Date
ca. 1480s
Medium
Tempera on panel
Dimensions
14 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches
(FRAMED IN PAIRS)
Credit
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Accession #
58.38 a
Description
St. Julian the Hospitaller is one of eight saints Lorenzo Costa painted in the late 1400s. The graceful figures originally flanked a central devotional image on a monumental altarpiece, likely in or near Bologna, Italy. The saints are identifiable by their attributes and by their names, which are inscribed underneath them in a northern Italian dialect. Devotees used this information to find the saints who were most relevant to their personal needs.
St. Julian the Hospitaller holds a dagger, referring to the prophecy that he would kill his parents. He tried to avoid the prophecy, but it became true, and he built a hospital in an effort to repent. He is the patron saint of hospital workers, innkeepers, and travelers.