This painting has been sponsored by Thomas E.K. Cerruti

This small yet remarkably powerful depiction of Saint Lucy by Jacopo Palma Giovane was originally housed in the Church of Santa Lucia, a convent church suppressed by Napoleonic decree on July 28, 1806, and demolished in 1860 to make way for the construction of Venice’s railway station. Today, the painting is preserved in the Church of San Geremia, where it adorns the Chapel of Santa Lucia. There, it remains the only painted image beside the large, gilded reliquary that preserves the saint’s body—the focus of fervent devotion that attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the world each year. The chapel, constructed in 1863, incorporates marbles salvaged from the demolished Church of Santa Lucia, thereby preserving both a material and devotional continuity with its original setting.

Likely painted in the early 1590s, Palma’s Saint Lucy is first documented in 1733, when it is recorded as decorating the columns of the high altar in the Church of Santa Lucia, alongside a companion image of Mary Magdalene (itself the subject of a Save Venice conservation project). By 1815, following the church’s suppression, the painting is described on the exterior wall of the Cappella di Santa Lucia, a chapel erected through the patronage of the Florentine nobleman Donato Baglioni. For this chapel, in 1592 Palma executed a now lost cycle dedicated to the saint, including the altarpiece Saint Lucy in Glory with Portraits of the Baglioni Family, as well as the Ecstasy of Saint Lucy with her Mother Eutychia at the Sepulcher of Saint Agatha and the Translation of Saint Lucy’s Body from Constantinople to Venice. Of all these paintings, Palma’s Saint Lucy is the only surviving image of the saint from the original Church of Santa Lucia, making it not only a rare witness to a lost sacred complex, but also one of the most significant paintings in San Geremia today.

Shown half-length, Saint Lucy appears as a young and graceful woman, clad in a finely rendered gown with a modestly adorned neckline. A blue mantle falls across her left shoulder, while a light veil partially covers her flowing blond hair, from which a few soft curls escape to frame the delicate oval of her face. Her gaze, direct yet tinged with melancholy, accords with the attributes she presents to the viewer: the small plate in her right hand bearing her eyes, a reference to the martyrdom she endured, and the palm branch that proclaims and celebrates her steadfast faith.

The refinement of her appearance and the gentle, almost intimate way in which she engages the beholder lend this small painting a quiet intensity. Modest in scale yet profound in presence, it invites close contemplation, translating the drama of martyrdom into a restrained and deeply personal image of devotion. Placed beside the reliquary that preserves Saint Lucy’s body, the painting assumes an even greater resonance: it offers the faithful not only a narrative of her sacrifice, but a face-to-face encounter with the saint whose relics rest just steps away, uniting image and body in a single, enduring act of veneration.

The painting is currently heavily obscured by thick layers of discolored varnish, as well as surface dust and grime, which make it difficult to fully appreciate the refined aesthetic achieved by Palma. Much of the background appears to suffer from extensive abrasions, possibly retouched during previous conservation campaigns and now visibly altered. Details such as the palm branch to the right, along with the saint’s mantle and veil, have darkened considerably and are difficult to read.

The conservation treatment will be preceded by a series of scientific analyses, including Infrared Reflectography (IR), aimed at identifying underlying features and guiding informed intervention. Cleaning will seek to recover the chromatic balance and luminosity of the surface, followed by pictorial integration where necessary to restore legibility without compromising authenticity.

Jacopo Palma il Giovane (1548/50 – 1628)
Saint Lucy
late 1590s, oil on canvas
70 x 65 cm

Mason, Stefania. Palma il Giovane. L’opera completa. Milan: Alfieri, 1984, pp. 121 (no 376), 184

Moschini, Giannantonio. Guida per la città di Venezia all’amico per le belle arti. Venice: Alvisopoli, 1815, pp. 78-79

Sansovino, Francesco and Giustiniano Martinioni. Venetia citta nobilissima et singolare. Venice: Stefano Curti, 1663, pp. 140-141

Zanetti, Anton Maria. Descrizione di tutte le pubbliche pitture della citta di Venezia. Venice: Pietro Bassaglia, 1733, pp. 422-423