Saints in Art

Rosa Giorgi, Stefano Zuffi, and Thomas Michael Hartmann

From the earliest times after Christ's death and the establishment of church, especially the Catholic church, saints have been portrayed in art. This includes the saints found in Christ's time and in the New Testament such as St. Peter and St. Paul, but also the many people who have achieved sainthood since then.

Many of these people have symbols and icons connected with them. Those items associated with the saints usually then appear in the art work that portrays them. Usually paintings are the method of the art, but saints are also in sculptures, frescoes, engravings, and other art forms.

Saints in Art lists over 100 saints and shows how the saints have been portrayed throughout the centuries. The saints are described, their acts and lives are recorded, as well as biographical detail for them. The saints' patronages are listed as well.

As an example, Leonard of Noblac lived in France in the sixth century. He was a hermit and an abbot. He's a patron for farmers, blacksmiths, fruit vendors, prisoners, and the mentally ill. Due to his faith, he visited prisoners every day, saved a queen's life when she went into premature labor, and founded a monastery. In art, he is usually portrayed dressed in a monk's habit and with a fleur-de-lis. There are two paintings shown in Saints in Art, one by Pietro Lorenzetti (painted around 1320) and another (painted around 1500) that is in a museum in Berlin.

That is a one page entry. Most saints have at least two pages with more explanation. The artwork shown often has annotations pointing out the different symbols and how they are related to the saint.

Saints in Art is a great guide to have when visiting museums. Published by the Getty Museum, the paper quality in this book is high and the pages heavy. It will stand up to the constant page turning when viewing the art. It helps one appreciate the work more as the symbols are explained.

Rosa Giorgi also presents good, brief biographies of the saints. This is an excellent quick reference to learn more about the saints. Martyrs, angels, disciples, and Christ's family members have all been sainted. The occasional Old Testament figure also has become a saint, such as Job. Giorgi presents not only the known facts, but possible facts about the saints as well.

The artists whose work is shown in the book range from Michelangelo to Daniele Crespi to Jan Vermeer. The works included come from around the world.

As a reference source, Saints in Art is a good one to have when studying the Catholic saints and how they have been portrayed over the years.