Curatorial Notes
This painting is a small replica of an altarpiece for the private family chapel of San José in Toledo, Spain. Producing smaller versions of commissioned altarpieces allowed El Greco to introduce his creations to a wider market. The composition here includes elements that would have resonated with his audience: Saint Martin wears fashionable, contemporary armor, and the walls of Toledo are visible in the distant background. Martin was a popular saint during the period, when the Catholic Church was promoting acts of charity like the gift of his cloak to a beggar as necessary for earning salvation.
Artwork Identification
Title Saint Martin and the Beggar
Title (PT) São Martinho e o Mendigo
Title (ES) San Martín y el mendigo
Artist Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco
Artist Bio El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos; Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614)
Date c. 1597–c. 1600
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0