Terms and Conditions
The artist, title and date of the work must be listed anywhere the image is reproduced:
France
Saint Barbara (c. 1420)
Oak (Quercus sp.)
108.0 × 51.3 × 32.6 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1946
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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About this work
This carved oak figure, once painted, is a late example of the ‘Beautiful’ or ‘International’ style which pervaded central Europe around 1400. This courtly aesthetic is characterised by an undulating S-curve of the body, and the use of modern luxury dress. Barbara is shown with the tower in which she was locked away from suitors and where she converted to Christianity. Traces of red on her robe indicate a martyr’s gown. Barbara was believed to provide protection against lightning and explosions, and thus may have been made for a domestic setting, conceivably in a covered but visible area outside a house.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Northern France, France
Accession Number
518-D4
Department
International Sculpture
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited