Saints Justa and Rufina, The legend states that the two sisters were makers of pottery and during a pagan festival the two refused to sell their creations to be used for pagan celebrations. The crowd then proceeded to destroy the sisters work, prompting the sisters to destroy a statue of Venus. During imprisonment they were starved and forced to walk barefoot. After Justa died of hunger her body was thrown in a well and Rufina was delivered to the lions. In this image the two sister saints stand holding bowls and palm leaves while looking up to heaven. A lion rests at their bare feet along with the destroyed statue, and a city dwells in the background., 1817

 Item — Box: 288
Identifier: spc-mss0088-s41-i0850

Scope and Contents

Vanderbilt photo identifier: SC.MSS.088.SPAN.0721; Public Notes:

Dates

  • Creation: 1817

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Subjects: Religious Subjects; Saints; Saints and Martyrs; Saint Justina; Saint Rufina; Style period: Romanticism; Technique: painting (technique); Work type: paintings

Full Extent

1 Items : Image Work Type: photographic print ; Image height (in.): 10.2; Image width (in.): 7.6in.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

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