Une Martyre (Saint Thechla)1891
Many of Sarah Dodson’s paintings were inspired by religious or mythological subjects. More about this work
About this work
Many of Sarah Dodson’s paintings were inspired by religious or mythological subjects. This image shows Saint Thechla (or Thecla), who converted to Christianity and renounced marriage after hearing a sermon by the Apostle Paul. Her family and fiancé condemned her disobedience, and Thecla was cast to her fate among lions and poisonous snakes. Nothing could harm the girl, however, and she was eventually set free. This idea of a young, confident girl following her own path regardless of other people’s expectations evokes Dodson’s own life, as she struggled to establish herself as a professional painter.
Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Sarah Paxton Ball Dodson
born Philadelphia, PA 1847-died Brighton, England 1906
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1923.8.1
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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