Saint Martin and the Beggar

c. 1597–c. 1600

This painting by El Greco depicts Saint Martin, a popular saint in the 1600s when the Catholic Church was promoting acts of charity, like Martin giving his cloak to a beggar, as necessary for salvation. The composition includes other elements that would have resonated with El Greco's local audience: Saint Martin wears fashionable armor, and the walls of Toledo are visible in the distant background.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos; Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614)

Date

c. 1597–c. 1600

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

110 × 63 cm (43 5/16 × 24 13/16 in.); Framed: 133.4 × 85.7 × 10.2 cm (52 1/2 × 33 3/4 × 4 in.)

Origin

Greece

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey McCormick