St. Lawrence is particularly popular amongst the Romans -- indeed, he is one of the city's patron saints, second only to the great apostles, SS. Peter and Paul. While he was not himself a native sone of the city of Rome (he was rather born in the provinces, a native of what is now modern day Spain) he did, however, hold a high office within the church in Rome, being one of the seven deacons of the city during the pontificate of the Sixtus II.
Tradition tells us that St. Lawrence was martyred after failing to cede the (material) treasures of the Church to the Roman authorities. As a result, he was roasted alive on a grid-iron that was set over scorching hot coals -- famously quipping with his executioners that he was done on one side and to flip him over. For this reason, the image of a grid-iron is specifically associated with him, something that we can see here too in the subject of our focus today, a beautiful sixteenth century velvet antependium.
This particular altar frontal is from Bergamo and is dated to the first half of the 1500's. It was obviously intended for his feast and possibly feast days of other martyrs more generally as well.
The frontal does include images of the Virgin and Child, as well as what would appear to be the apostles St. John and St. James the Greater, but St. Lawrence is the primary actor here, being centrally and prominently depicted on the main part of the frontal holding his grid-iron in one hand, the palm of martyrdom in another. Encircling him is another symbol of martyrdom, the laurel wreath which represents the crown of victory that was once given to victorious Roman athletes, now, in Christian times, earned by and assigned to the victorious martyrs.
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| Possibly St. James the Greater |
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The Virgin and Child
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| ca. 1650-1700 |
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| ca. 1740-1760 |
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| ca. 1669 |
