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Notes
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The small size and rectangular shape of this panel indicate that it once formed part of a predella – that is the lowest section of an altarpiece. Predellas usually illustrated events from the lives of the saints depicted in the main section of the altarpiece. The saint who is about to be beheaded here, for her Christian faith, has been identified as Saint Margaret of Antioch. This is on account of the cross-shape she has formed with her thumbs as she prays, which may refer to the legend that Saint Margaret fought off the devil – in the form of a dragon – by making the sign of the cross with her hands. Her legend also recounts that she asked to pray before her execution. Starnina, a Florentine painter, has chosen to show the moment at which the executioner is just about to strike.
Title
The Beheading of Saint Margaret (?)
Date
probably about 1409
Medium
Egg tempera on poplar
Measurements
H 42.3 x W 65.2 cm
Accession number
NG3926
Acquisition method
Mond Bequest, 1924
Work type
Painting
