The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorian [SEP] creator
The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorian
The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorian is an 1834 painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It shows the death of Saint Symphorian, the first Christian martyr in Gaul. Painted in oil on canvas and measuring 407 x 339 cm, it is now in Autun Cathedral. Although Ingres considered the painting—completed only after ten years of diligent work—one of his crowning achievements, it was criticized harshly when he exhibited it in the Paris Salon of 1834. It subsequently has been considered emblematic of
public commissions. He applied for and received a position as director of the French Academy in Rome, and left Paris in December 1834 to begin a self-imposed exile in Italy. He did not return to France until 1841. In November 1834 "The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorian" was installed in Autun Cathedral.
Legacy.
Although Ingres remained firm in his belief that "The Martyrdom of Saint Symphorian" was one of his supreme achievements, it has traditionally been counted among his least successful works. In 1889 declared