Saint Lawrence

Maella was one of the most successful Spanish artists employed at the court of Bourbon kings Charles III and Charles IV. This sheet depicts St. Lawrence, who was burned alive. Flanked by two angels, the saint ascends on a cloud in the center of the composition holding a grill, symbolic of his martyrdom. The drawing is squared for transfer, indicating its preparatory function for a larger painting. --Exhibition Label, from "Visions and Nightmares: Four Centuries of Spanish Drawings"