Because
of the painting’s size and the careful application of paint, it is thought to
be an original replica from the cycle created by the artist for the church of
Santa Caterina di Brera, in Milan, which comprised at least four altarpieces.
The
Burning of the Philosophers was one of the original works
that has not come to light till today. It also narrated one of the important
events in the life of the saint and Princess of Alexandria.
She witnessed the martyrdom of fifty Alexandrian philosophers whom
she herself had converted to Christianity.
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