La Maccabea
Lorenzo Lotto·c. 1518
Historical Context
La Maccabea by Lotto depicts a scene from the Books of Maccabees, the accounts of Jewish resistance to Greek persecution that were important to both Jewish and Christian traditions. The Maccabean subjects of martyrdom and resistance carried particular resonance during the Counter-Reformation era. Tempera on panel suited the precise, layered technique expected by ecclesiastical and private patrons across Europe. itinerant, working across Venice, Bergamo, Marche, and Rome, always outside mainstream Venetian tradition.
Technical Analysis
Lotto renders the Maccabean subject with characteristic emotional directness. Bold coloring and expressive figures convey the heroism and suffering of the narrative.
