St. Roch
Lorenzo Costa
Italian, ca. 1460–1535

Details
Title
St. Roch
Artist/Maker
Lorenzo Costa (Italian, ca. 1460–1535)
Date
ca. 1480s
Medium
Tempera on panel
Dimensions
14 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches (FRAMED IN PAIRS)
Credit
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Accession #
58.40a
St. Roch is one of eight saints Lorenzo Costa painted in the late 1400s. The graceful figures originally flanked a central devotional image on a monumental altarpiece, likely in or near Bologna, Italy. The saints are identifiable by their attributes and by their names, which are inscribed underneath them in a northern Italian dialect. Devotees used this information to find the saints who were most relevant to their personal needs. St. Roch points to a plague sore on his leg. This visual cue would have prompted the ill to pray to him for healing.
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