Description
by Giovanni Battista de CAVALIERI
Plate 9:
Martyrdom scenes with St Eustace and his family being burned inside a brazen bull in foreground, St Symphorian being beheaded in left background, several men being thrown from a cliff in right background; letters A-D within composition indicating different scenes
Titled in top margin:
"Tanqvam avrvm in fornace probavit illos. Sap.II.".
Lettered and numbered '9' in lower margin, with explanatory key in Latin.
the plate from
Ecclesiae militantis triumphi; sive, Deo amabilium martyrum gloriosa pro Christi fide certamina
by NICCOLO CIRCIGNANI
Engraved by Giovanni Battista Cavalieri after frescoes of martyrdom scenes by Circignani in the church of S. Stefano Rotondo in Rome
In the book of Giovanni Battista de' Cavalieri, published by Bartolomeo Grassi in 1585 in Rome, the martyrdom scenes in San Stefano Rotondo are reproduced along with their inscriptions, as if they were a catechism for the newly reformed church returning to its Early Christian roots.
The church of San Stefano Rotondo, which has an unusual round shape, is known for its frescoes depicting Christian martyrdom under the Roman empire. The frescoes, painted by a team lead by Niccolò Circignani known as il Pomarancio, show the different means by which Romans tortured early Christian martyrs.
The cycle of martyrs, as it became known, was commissioned by the German-Hungarian College of Jesuits, to which the church belongs, with the specific aim of educating their novices. During their novitiate in Rome (the training period given to decide whether or not to join the Church), trainee priests were isolated from the world to meditate on the life of Christ.
Size 8 1/3 by 11 1/2 (including margins)
Some wear, dampstain visible on the scans.
EXTREMELY RARE
Reserve: $96.00
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1585 ENGRAVING MARTYRDOM SCENE by CAVALIERI Ecclesiae militantis triumphi # 9
Estimate $120-$150
Starting Price
$45
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Antique books 15th-19th Century
Feb 05, 2026 6:00 PM ESTNew York, NY, United States
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