# Une Martyre (Saint Thechla)

**Sarah Paxton Ball Dodson** (born Philadelphia, PA 1847-died Brighton, England 1906)  
1891  
oil on canvas  
29 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (74.9 x 54.6 cm)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1923.8.1. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=6919).

## 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._

Sarah Paxton Ball Dodson painted this in 1891, aged 44. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### 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](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/sarah-paxton-ball-dodson)

born Philadelphia, PA 1847-died Brighton, England 1906

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 44
- Real size: about 29 × 21 in (75 × 55 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 16 × 20 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Palm, Foliage, Religion, Saints, St. Thechla, Martyr
- Colour: olive
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1869.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1869/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/une-martyre-saint-thechla-si-saam-1923-8-1).