01 Work, Interpretations of Roman tradition, The Master of the Holy Blood's Death of Lucretia, with footnotes #40

Workshop of The Master of the Holy Blood

Death of Lucretia

Oil on panel

61.1 x 45.9 cm.; 24 x 18⅛ in.

Private collection

Sold for 5,000 GBP in April 2016

Lucretia, legendary heroine of ancient Rome. According to tradition, she was the beautiful and virtuous wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. Her tragedy began when she was raped by Sextus Tarquinius, son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical Etruscan king of Rome. After exacting an oath of vengeance against the Tarquins from her father and her husband, she stabbed herself to death. Lucius Junius Brutus then led the enraged populace in a rebellion that drove the Tarquins from Rome. The event (traditionally dated 509 BCE) marks the foundation of the Roman Republic. The story is first found in the work of the earliest Roman historian, Fabius Pictor (late 3rd century BCE). Its classic form is Livy’s version (late 1st century BCE). Lucretia’s story is also recounted in Shakespeare’s narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. More on Lucretia

Master of the Holy Blood (active 1510–1520) was an Early Netherlandish painter.

Little is known of his/her life. This painter is named after a work in the Museum of the Holy Blood, which has remained in the same location through the centuries.

This master of the Bruges school, who was active sometime around 1520, derives his name from the paintings by him in the collection of the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood in Bruges. Judging from the works which have gradually been rediscovered and added to his body of work, his production was prolific and it is logical to assume that he was in charge of a flourishing workshop.

As there is no sign of direct influence from the work of Gerard David or other contemporary Bruges painters (with the exception of Memling, from whom he often borrows the dominant horizontal and the frequently symmetrical balance of the compositions), little can be said with certainty of the training of this mysterious painter. More on Master of the Holy Blood

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.