Title
Acacius and the 10,000 Martyrs on Mount Ararat
Gallego, Francisco (Active in Castile: 1500-1513)
Generic classification
PaintingObject
PaintingDate
ca. 1490-1493Century
Late 15th c.Cultural context / style
Hispano-Flemish GothicDimensions
60 3/4 x 44 x 1 1/4 inMaterial
PanelIconography / Theme
Acacio y los diez mil mártires del monte AraratProvenance
Possible origin from Castile and Leon (Castilla y León, Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Spain)Current location
Meadows Museum (Dallas, Texas, United States)Inventory Number in Current Collection
MM.68.02Object history
This painting was acquired by Algur H. Meadows in 1968, who bought it from the firm Wildenstein & Co. in New York (Dotseth, Anderson and Roglán, 2008). This oil magnate had been to Madrid in the 1950s and had visited the Prado Museum. His interest in Spanish art led him to acquire numerous works of art in the country. Initially it was thought that the panel had been made by Francisco and Fernando Gallego, however, after the analysis carried out by Claire Barry (2008) it has been confirmed that it can only be attributed to Francisco Gallego (Silva, 2004). There is no information about the provenance of the panel, but its author worked in the province of Salamanca at the time the painting was made. Therefore, it seems plausible to think that the piece was part of an altarpiece from what is now Castilla y León. However, Francisco Gallego's activity in Santiago de Compostela is also documented, so it cannot be ruled out that it comes from this province. After buying it, Meadows donated the piece to the Meadows Museum, where it is kept today.
Description
This panel represents the martyrdom of Saint Acacius, a Roman centurion of the 4th century who was crucified along with several of his soldiers, as narrated in the legendary Passio decem millium martyrum. He appears in the center of the composition nailed to a cross together with Eliades and Theodorus, two of his closest companions. Around him nine more soldiers have also been crucified, all of them with dejected faces. On the ground, behind Acacius, lies a dead legionary, also with his hands and feet pierced by nails. At the bottom of the canvas two armed Roman soldiers flank the scene. One looks directly at the viewer, while the other looks at Acacius. The scene is set against a landscape of green hills and a winding road.
Locations
XVth c. - XXth c.
ca. 1967 - 1968
dealer/antiquarian
Wildenstein and Company, New York (United States) *
ca. 1968Mid XXth c.
private collection
Algur H. Meadows, Dallas (United States) *
ca. 1968 - present
Bibliography
- DOTSETH, Amanda W. (2021): "Francisco Gallego", en Meadows Museum. A Handbook of the Collection, editado por Mark A. Roglán, Dallas, p. 34.
- DOTSETH, Amanda W., ANDERSON, Barbara C., ROGLÁN, Mark A. (eds.) (2008): Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece from Ciudad Rodrigo, vol. catálogo de exposición (Dallas, 2008), Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, y Philip Wilson Publishers, Londres, pp. 350-352.
- SILVA MAROTO, Pilar (2004): Fernando Gallego, Caja Duero, Salamanca, pp. 429-465.
Record manager
Isabel Escalera FernándezCitation:
Isabel Escalera Fernández, "Acacius and the 10,000 Martyrs on Mount Ararat" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/317
