Here Bononi depicts St. Barbara before her martyrdom.
When she refused the marriage arranged by her pagan father, he locked her in a
tower (pictured in the background). When he discovered her faith, he reported the
young virgin to the prefect, who ordered her beheading. After her father
carried out the sentence, he was struck to death by lightning.
This story explains some of the symbolism of the
painting. Her white garment (virginity) is covered by a blue (grace) with a
loose red (martyrdom) mantle. The cannons, so common in pictures of St.
Barbara, remind the viewer that the young virgin is also the patron saint of
artillery (because of her father’s violent death).
Unlike most Renaissance religious art, this scene
shows St. Barbara as disquieted by the martyrdom she faces. Though her posture
emulates Mary’s obedient pose, her face shows confusion- yet nonetheless trust.
The benign angle looks down from the heavens to her, answering her fears with a
simple gesture: a reminder to pray always.
