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This painting is part of Romanino’s high altarpiece for S. Alessandro in Brescia. It is situated beside the main panel of the Nativity. Saint Alexander was patron saint of Brescia and the church was dedicated to him. His position on the holy family’s right-hand side puts him in the place of honour, and he has a double halo. He was a local martyr, beheaded in Bergamo in about 303. He was said to have been a Roman soldier who was killed for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. He is often depicted as a youthful knight holding a banner marked with a fleur-de-lis in reference to the lilies that sprang up where his blood was spilled. The heroic and richly coloured figure of Saint Alexander expresses the strongly Venetian character of Romanino’s work.
Title
Saint Alexander
Date
about 1524
Medium
Oil on wood
Measurements
H 159.5 x W 64.2 cm
Accession number
NG297.2
Acquisition method
Bought, 1857
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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Scene from classical History, possibly Mucius Scaevola Ashmolean Museum, Oxford -
Studies for an Agony in the Garden Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
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Study for a Judgement of Paris Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
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Saint Filippo Benizzi The National Gallery, London -
Saint Jerome The National Gallery, London -
Saint Alexander The National Gallery, London -
The Nativity The National Gallery, London - 2 more