St. Martina, circa 1635-1640
Oil on canvas
37 1/2 x 30 in. (95.25 x 76.2 cm)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Martina of Rome was a Roman martyr under emperor Alexander Severus. A patron saint of Rome, she was martyred in 226.
The daughter of an ex-consul and orphaned at an early age, she was described as a noble and beautiful virgin. She so openly testified to her Christian faith that she could not escape the persecutions under Alexander Severus. Arrested and commanded to return to idolatry, she refused, whereupon she was subjected to various tortures. These tortures according to her vita include being scourged and scaled, was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts in the amphitheater but was miraculously untouched by them. She was then thrown onto a burning pyre, from which she also escaped unhurt, and was finally beheaded…
Zaidan Gallery 
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