Saint Agatha in prison with the Angel, late 17th century

This work, a beautiful oil on canvas of good pictorial quality, is attributed to an anonymous artist of the Southern Italian school, active in the second half of the 17th century. The scene depicts the moment when the Saint, having suffered the torture of having her breasts amputated, is visited in prison by the Angel. Traditionally, the composition featured Saint Peter healing the wounds inflicted on the Saint (see Lanfranco's famous prototype), however, our painter here emphasizes the suffering of martyrdom by limiting the depiction to the sole figure of the woman supported by the Angel pointing to the sky.