The Martyrdom of St. Barbara

The Master of Affligem painted this Martyrdom of St. Barbara around 1500 as a companion to the panel showing Barbara directing her tower's construction. The scene depicts her execution by her own father, a powerful narrative of faith and filial conflict popular in Netherlandish art. The tempera-on-panel medium required a carefully gessoed surface and was painted in fine, precise layers, yielding a luminous, jewel-like surface of great durability.

Oil on panel with dramatic compositional staging and vivid color contrasts. The executioner's pose and the saint's serene expression create a powerful tension typical of Brabantine narrative painting.