Garofalo, 'Vision of Saint Augustine', about 1520-35
About the work
Overview
Saint Augustine (about 354–430) was an early Christian theologian whose writings, which included De Trinitate (About the Trinity), profoundly influenced Western Christianity and philosophy. This painting represents his vision in which he saw a child trying to empty the sea into a hole dug in the sand. When Augustine told him that this was impossible, the child, a messenger from God, replied that Augustine’s attempt to explain the Trinity was an equally impossible task. Garofalo has made the child perched on a mound of sand Christ himself, his head crowned with a halo of rays of light.
Garofalo’s depiction of this episode is unusual in that it also includes the holy family, Saint Catherine and Saint Stephen (on the shore in the middle distance). Saints Catherine and Stephen were probably saints to whom the person who commissioned the painting was especially devoted.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Vision of Saint Augustine
- Artist
- Garofalo
- Artist dates
- about 1481 - 1559
- Date made
- about 1520-35
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 64.5 × 81.9 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831
- Inventory number
- NG81
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
- Frame
- 16th-century Italian Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Giorgia Mancini and Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 3, ‘Bologna and Ferrara’, London 2016; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1962Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools (excluding the Venetian), London 1962
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2016Mancini, Giorgia, and Nicholas Penny, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 3, Bologna and Ferrara, London 2016
Frame
This sixteenth-century Italian cassetta frame is crafted from pinewood and water-gilt. The prominent frieze showcases the sgraffito technique, whereby the dark blue egg tempera that covers the gilt surface has been carefully removed to reveal a geometric pattern in gold. The blue triangular areas either side of the zigzag line are adorned with three-lobed flower motifs.
The frame appears to have been adapted from one very large frame which was used to create frames for both this painting by Garofalo and Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, suggesting a practical and economical approach to framing.
In Pieter Christoffel Wonder’s painting entitled Patrons and Lovers of Art (Private collection), created between 1826 and 1830, Garofalo’s Vision of Saint Augustine is depicted within a simple gilt moulding. This historical reference provides insight into the evolving tastes and styles of framing over time.
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.