Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti; Italian, 1518–1594)
Saint Helen Testing the True Cross
INV-1050
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti; Italian, 1518–1594)c. 1545
Saint Helen Testing the True Cross
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti; Italian, 1518–1594) →sixteenth century16th Centuryoil on canvaspaint
Date
c. 1545
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
21.5 × 48.9 cm (8 1/2 × 19 3/8 in.); Framed: 31.8 × 59.4 × 6.4 cm (12 1/2 × 23 3/8 × 2 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Böhler and Steinmeyer
This painting may belong to an extensive series of small scenes illustrating the story of Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, the Roman emperor who made Christianity the official religion of his empire. According to legend, Helen traveled to Jerusalem in search of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, known as the True Cross. Guided to the spot of the crucifixion, she identified the True Cross by testing its power to revive the dead. In this small painting, Tintoretto set down the figures with bold, summarizing strokes that efficiently convey posture and movement.
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