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Saint Martin of Tours Dividing his Cloak for a Beggar
Saint Martin of Tours Dividing his Cloak for a Beggar

Saint Martin of Tours Dividing his Cloak for a Beggar

Master of Belmonte (Spanish (Aragonese), active in third quarter, 15th century)
Medium/TechniqueTempera on panel
Dimensions166.7 x 105.7 cm (65 5/8 x 41 5/8 in.)
Credit LineHerbert James Pratt Fund
Accession number24.338
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsPaintings
Collections
Description
This panel, undoubtedly from a larger altarpiece dedicated to Saint Martin, has on stylistic grounds been attributed to an unknown artist nicknamed the "Master of Belmonte." Its style is close to that of Martín de Soria, to whom it once was attributed; its idiosyncratically proportioned figures and spidery cityscape, however, bespeak a different painter. Especially characteristic are the emphatically decorative, rather flattening effects of heavily gilded embossing on the draperies, haloes, and horse's harness. This panel depicts a well-known episode from the life of the early medieval Saint Martin. While serving in the Roman army, Martin encountered a nearly naked beggar outside the city of Amiens. Dividing his cloak with his sword, he left half of it with the poor man. That night, he had a vision of Christ enveloped in that half of the cloak; Martin promptly was baptized and soon afterward left the army to devote himself to his new faith. Many elements of this tale are woven into the Master of Belmonte's depiction, in which the beggar's divine identity is signaled by his cross-halo, while the spindly towers and massive walls of "Roman" Amiens appear in the background.
Provenance1919, Valenciano (dealer), Barcelona; 1924, sold by Valenciano to the MFA. for $3070 (Accession Date: July 17, 1924)