Jheronimus Bosch in Venice and the bearded female Saint

Until 4th June, 2017, the Doge’s Palace in Venice is set to host a large exhibition on Jheronimus Bosch in Venice.

The exhibition begins with three paintings by the Flemish master that were added to the collections of a Venetian nobleman, Cardinal Domenico Grimani, shortly after the death of the painter, in 1515. In his will the cardinal left the two collections of ancient sculptures and painting to the Venice Republic and so the three paintings, so dissimilar from Venetian painting for the depiction of monsters and oneiric images, remained on display at the Doge’s Palace for a long time.

One of them, the Crucified Female Martyr, has for a long time baffled scholars who were trying to establish her identity. In the end it emerged that she was a female martyr venerated in the area of the River Rhine and Flanders, but unknown in Italy: Saint Ontcommernis. Her identification was possible thanks to a very important detail: a beard can be spotted on her face!

According to legend, this Virgin was a convert to Christianity and the daughter of a pagan king who had betrothed her to a prince. To avert the marriage, God made a beard miraculously sprout on her, but the father, angered by the girl's rejection, had her crucified.

By purchasing the entry ticket to the Doge’s Palace - a multiple ticket that includes access to the Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Halls of St. Mark’s Library - you can visit the exhibition with an additional €2,00 discounted ticket available on-site!