Carlo Dolci's painting of Saint Agatha returns to Osterley Park and House

A painting of the early Christian martyr Saint Agatha, by Italian artist Carlo Dolci (1616-1687), has been acquired by the National Trust for Osterley Park and House in Middlesex thanks to a grant from Art Fund and other generous donations.

Saint Agatha is one of the items highlighted in the book National Trust 125 Treasures which brings together a selection of highlights from the National Trust’s vast collection. Inspired by this Osterley have launched the exhibiton 'My Treasure of Osterley',an exhibition celebrating all there is to love and cherish about Osterley. 

The painting of Saint Agatha, purchased by art lover Sir Robert Child at the beginning of the 18th century, became one of the works in a great picture collection at Osterley and was recorded in a 1782 inventory. However, it was later sold along with other family heirlooms in the 1930s. 

Saint Agatha is a dramatic depiction of Agatha of Sicily, a Christian martyr, who suffered dreadful torture at the hands of the Romans. It is an example of the work of the Baroque master Carlo Dolci, a leading figure of 17th-century Florentine art, whose passionate depictions of holy figures aimed to inspire reverence and empathy for the divine. It captures the miraculous moment when Saint Peter the Apostle appeared to Saint Agatha in a vision and healed her wounds. 

John Chu, National Trust Assistant Curator of Pictures and Sculpture explains: 

"The homecoming of Saint Agatha provides the chance to look more closely at the importance of pictures to the story of the house. She will be the highlight of our exhibition exploring the Child family’s meteoric rise and what these precious objects meant to them at a remarkable moment in British history. Saint Agatha will be displayed alongside other European and Asian works of art and design, including furniture and ceramics, bought by the family."