Focus on The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus (Poussin) and discuss the History.
The painting was commissioned on February 5, 1628, by the Fabric of Saint Peter, to adorn the altar dedicated to Erasmus of Formia in St. Peter's Basilica. More precisely, it was to be located to the left of the north transept, near the Martyrdom of Saint Processus and Saint Martinian by Valentin de Boulogne (1629). The Fabric required Poussin to adopt the composition of the painting to be replaced, except that the white-robed pagan priest was to be moved to the side of the composition. The Pope first invited Pietro da Cortona to carry out the commission, but Poussin was finally chosen thanks to the intervention of his protector, Cassiano dal Pozzo, the secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini. The latter had previously commissioned him to create The Capture of Jerusalem (Israel Museum) in 1626 and The Death of Germanicus in 1627, assuring Poussin's reputation in Rome where he had arrived four years earlier.Two preparatory drawings are known, the first kept in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, and the second in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe of the Uffizi in Florence. Poussin then produced a modello currently in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The altarpiece panel is the only work of Poussin's that can be seen in a public building in the city from the time of the painter, and is also the only altarpiece to which he added his signature.The painting was finally transferred to the Quirinal Palace before 1763. It was seized by French troops in 1797 and sent to the Louvre in Paris, where it remained until 1817. On that date, it was returned to the Holy See and kept at the Vatican Museums.
Vatican Museums Cassiano dal Pozzo St. Peter's Basilica Florence Milan Ottawa The Death of Germanicus Uffizi Israel Museum Erasmus of Formia Holy See Martyr Valentin de Boulogne Quirinal Palace Rome Saint Processus and Saint Martinian Fabric of Saint Peter modello Cardinal Francesco Barberini Pietro da Cortona Louvre National Gallery of Canada Paris Biblioteca Ambrosiana