Saint Lucy at the Tomb of Saint Agatha

Saint Lucy at the Tomb of Saint Agatha, completed 1532

oil on panel
Pinacoteca Civica, Jesi

This painting is the leftmost of three panels that make up the predella, or base, of an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Lucy. The story of Lucy begins in this panel, in which the future saint visits the shrine of Saint Agatha where she falls asleep and experiences a vision. On awakening, she miraculously cures her ailing mother, who consents to Lucy's request that her dowry be given to the poor. The story in this panel closes with the women distributing alms to beggars in rags.