The Apotheosis of Saint Barbara. A study for an Altar Painting

This drawing is authored by Martin Altomonte – an artist of Italian origin working in Poland. He was born around 1657 in Naples where he received his primary education. Later he studied in Salzburg and Rome. He arrived to Poland in 1680. He was brought to decorate St. Peter and Paul Church in Antokol in Vilnius, which was a commission that brought him popularity. He worked for the Pac family, and later for the royal court. At the beginning of the 18th century he went to Austria, where he died in 1745.
Altomonte was mainly a painter, but also a draughtsman. He depicted battle scenes, historical events and figures of saints. Most of his drawing have been lost. A number of works have been preserved in the sketchbook, now kept in the library of Melk Abbey, and a few scattered drawings have survived, too. One of them – depicting St Barbara – is in the Ossolineum collection.
The drawing is probably a design for an altar painting. The composition is organised vertically and rounded from above. In the middle there is the figure of Saint Barbara, who is depicted floating on a cloud and surrounded by putti. On the Earth there are scenes from her life, while behind the saint Altomonte depicted a tower – a place where, according to the legend, an angel with a chalice and the host appeared to Barbara. The Angel can be seen hovering above the Saint. A palm tree – a symbol of martyrdom – can also be seen in the representation.